Haruto Suzume, Samurai Sorceror
by icouldbeemo
Summary: Response to DZ2's "Samurai Sorceror" challenge. (Warning: LOTS of OCs, mentioned characters that shouldn't be there slight swearing? Depends. And possible slash.) Summary: Taken to the Land of the Rising Sun, Harry takes the path of Bushido to unlock his true potential and to escape the clutches of those who wish to use him. Will he succeed? Or will he fail?
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I should concentrate with 'A Dark Lord's Heir', but I saw this challenge in DZ2's forum. It's entitled 'Sorceror S****am****urai', and I said**** to myself****;**

"**Why the hell not?"**

**And BAM! Here it is.**

**I think.**

**And d****ue to my lack of ability**** (and my natural laziness)**** to think up more Original Characters for this fic, I decided to use the same OC****s**** in my other HP fic. The only difference is that Harry is not Grindelwald's Heir in here.**

**Now that's out of the way; pip pip!**** (Shite, I just felt like Dumbly-dorr)**

* * *

><p>Harry Potter, at the tender age of 8, <em>should not<em> be working outside the house with the unforgiving sun high up in the sky. And with no sunscreen to protect his soft skin. It just wasn't right.

Not that Petunia Dursley cared.

She sniffed in contempt, turning to the breakfast she was cooking up for her 'ickle Duddykins'.

"Here you go sweetums. Mummy made you your favourites!" She exclaimed, her horse-like face more unsettling with the rapturous smile she gave her whale of a son. Vernon chortled as the blonde beach ball began shoving his food into his face.

"He'll be a fine man, he is. Takes after his father, right Pet?" Said woman burst into happy sobs, wiping her eyes dramatically as she placed a kiss on her son's fat cheek.

"Uncle Vernon." The quiet voice made all of them freeze up, as Vernon Dursley turned to the _freak_. He narrowed his beady little eyes at the small boy.

"Are you done with your chores, boy?" He growled, delighting the fact that the boy trembled before him, ducking his head.

"Y-yes, Uncle." He whispered, his voice cracking.

"Well? Back to your cupboard, boy!" He snarled, turning back to his morning paper as the boy rushed out of the kitchen. Petunia sniffed,

"I would never understand why we have to raise that- that _freak_ in our house!" She hissed the word 'freak' as if in fear of tainting 'Duddykins'. Vernon gave his wife a look.

"It goes to show that we are good citizens, Pet. Unlike that boy's parents that died in a car crash because of drunkenness." Vernon laughed at what he said, as if finding it funny. Petunia looked at the cupboard under the stairs in disdain, but said nothing more.

Unknown to them, Harry bowed his head down, as he heard the voice of his uncle. He refused to cry, he had to be strong for his parents, despite never having the chance to know them.

Crawling into his measly cot, he curled in on himself, willing himself to sleep. He felt calm in the dimness of the cupboard, making his barely-remembered memories come quicker to him.

It was his way of making himself sleep, by concentrating on a voice of a woman that he was very sure was his mother, and using the feeling it gave him to protect his mind.

Or atleast that was what he assumed.

He took a light nap, welcoming the comfort the darkness gave him.

xXxXxXx

Harry woke to something poking him in the cheek, and in a sleepy attempt to swat it; he only succeeded to flap his hand around.

"**Ah! You're so adorable! But… Kind of on the small side, though.**" Emerald eyes snapped open in alarm, and he finally noticed he wasn't alone in his cupboard.

_The__re__ were two othe__r people__ in here_.

Harry knew better than to scream, so he scooted back against the wall and grabbed the small carving knife he nicked from the shed before. He knew the knife was pathetic, but who knows? He might get lucky and put down one of them.

The two hooded people backed away from him, hands up in the universal gesture of peace.

"Atashi wa anata o tatakae nai***.**" Harry's face took a confused look, as he couldn't understand a word that was being spoken. It was quick, and used syllabified sounds, not like English which was rather more flowing.

"I… I don't understand you." Harry whispered, knife still held out protectively in front of him. The two seemed to look at each other before bringing their hands up to their hoods and letting it fall back, revealing youthful faces.

One was obviously female, shoulder length black hair with a strange yellow streak on the left side, and weird cat-like eyes. The lower half of her face was over by a mask the resembled a crane's beak, making her look a little strange. She was decked in loose, black outfit, that made little Harry giggle since it looked funny to him.

The other one was male, dark grey eyes and spiky black hair that fell past his eyes in a messy array, his left ear pierced with several strange looking ornaments, and another half mask on his lower face. Though his mask resembled more of a fox than a wolf.

"We won't hurt you." The male said, in slightly broken English, though it was clear enough to young Harry. Emerald eyes focused on them warily.

"Who are you? How – how did you get in here?" He asked, lowering his hand with the knife but not letting it go. He won't actually use it, but bluffing while a blade in hand is usually taken very seriously. So Harry would take advantage of that.

The girl saw his action, and she smiled approvingly at his wariness.

"You'll do well not to let go of your weapon." She said softly with a hidden smile. The boy took over the conversation once again.

"We're friends, well, not exactly but we mean you no harm." He placed a palm over his chest, and bowed his head to Harry. "My name is Shouichi Nakamiya."

The girl copied his actions, also stating her name. "I am Mizu Hayama."

Harry, at lost for what to do, tried to imitate them, mumbling his name in the process and making the other two grin in amusement.

"If you're wondering what we are doing here, is because we felt your magic, Harry-kun. Do you know what magic is?" Mizu asked softly, sitting back on her ankles and with her back straight, hands calmly on her lap.

Harry frowned at the question. "But Uncle Vernon said that muh-magic doesn't exist." He couldn't help but wince at his own stutter. "He said w-witches made deals with the devil so they could do bad things."

Silence ruled for several minutes, the two older teens gaping at Harry. He fidgeted under their stare, and looked down at his hands, flipping the knife over and over nervously. Finally the girl – Mizu, Harry reminded himself – huffed and crossed her arms.

"That's just plain rude! Only Demon Callers make contracts with demons. And we certainly _do not_ make 'bad things'. Unless you're that _other_ guy." She muttered, glaring at the cobwebs that seemed to offend her.

"Harry-kun, magic exists. How do you think we got inside?" Shouichi asked, grinning at Harry, who was now looking absolutely lost. Both of them shared a look again, before scooting back just as the light – Harry just noticed that it _shouldn't_ be there – dimmed, enveloping Harry once more in darkness.

"Try not to panic, okay?" Mizu said with a reassuring smile. The shadows seemed to amass in front of Harry as she said this, making Harry raise his hand with the knife once more. The shadows bulged and roiled silently, and after a minute of semi-panic Harry began to make out a form of a person.

And in no time, there was a person kneeling right where the shadows amassed, which had now disappeared and the light lost a bit of its dimness now. A face with dull, coal black eyes framed by equally dark hair gazed evenly at Harry.

The young boy was surprised the boy before was only a few years older than him, maybe a two or three-year gap. The newcomer merely dipped his head, staying silent.

"Tetsu can't speak English like we do, so he can't understand you yet. Now," Mizu gave him a wild grin, "Do you believe in magic now?"

Harry nodded numbly, reeling from the thought of _magic being real_. It was so cool! He would be able to fly, do tricks and-

"Why are you telling me this? If m-magic is real, why didn't Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia do magic? Or it's because of they think it's evil?" Mizu sighed deeply, scooting forwards as 'Tetsu' seemed to melt back into the shadows, only to reappear to take Mizu's abandoned spot.

"I believe your name is Harry, yes?" Harry nodded at the question, staying quiet as Mizu continued. "In our world, _you _are very famous. Not a child there doesn't know who you are. Parents whisper to them your greatest deed, one that you have accomplished when you were only but a baby."

"And there goes here story-teller mode."

"_Quiet you_, anyway. You should know Harry. You're a wizard. Probably one of the strongest there is." Now Harry was even more lost, if it was possible.

"I'm a wizard? But – but, I've never done magic! I can't make pretty flowers appear out of nowhere, I can't pull bunnies out of hats…" Harry trailed off as the three started chortling, amusement in their eyes.

"Really, kid? _That_ isn't magic. Muggles can't do magic, no matter what they do." Shouichi interjected. The young boy cocked his head to the side,

"What's a muggle?" He asked, curiosity coloring his voice.

"Muggles – like those… You call those relatives? Anyway, Muggles are non-magical people, people without the tiniest sliver of magical core." Mizu explained. Then she hesitated.

"Harry… Harry-kun, if it's okay with you…" Mizu hesitated again, looking at Shouichi and Tetsu with conflict in her eyes. Harry leaned forward, brows scrunched up together.

"What is it? You can tell me. I'm good at keeping secrets." Mizu paused, before giving him a hesitant smile.

"Well, okay, I'll ask you this; would you like to leave with us? We can tell you all that you should know." Harry stopped breathing for a moment, his mind grinding to a halt.

_What_?

"What?" His voice was barely a whisper now, disbelief the prominent emotion in there. Mizu repeated her question more confidently this time.

"Would you like to leave this place? Go with us? We can take you away." She said quietly, holding her hand out to Harry. He stared at her hand in shock, the meaning of her words finally sinking in his mind. It made his head reel.

Would he leave?

Should he?

Maybe there's a chance of his relatives…

But all they've shown him was cruelty, never an ounce of love or approval.

And maybe…

Just _maybe…_

_Maybe this was his wish coming true?_

Maybe, maybe not. But he _did_ wish to leave this place before, right? These people might not be his relatives… But if he will give them a chance…

Maybe they'll become his family. A better one.

So would he leave this place?

_Yes._

With his mind made up, he placed his hand in Mizu's, a determined gleam in his young emerald eyes.

"Please, take me away." He whispered with finality, getting three wide smiles hidden by their masks. It was Shouichi who spoke up, as Tetsu placed his hands on Shouichi and Mizu's shoulder.

"You'll never be alone, then. We won't let you."

The shadows surged and twisted silently, swallowing the four of them into its darkness, and taking them to their home. Never to reappear for a long while.

In another place, somewhere in Scotland, a grand and ancient castle was situated. It was named Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the current Headmaster is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

And the man was deeply distressed.

A moment ago he was enjoying his favourite Lemon Drops, when suddenly alarms blared and rattled the instruments situated on his desk. He peered into the objects, almost all of them were ringing and trembling in their positions, save for one.

Good, the boy was still alive.

But what caused Albus' distress were the alarms alerting him to the Blood Wards around Number 4, Privet Drive, and Harry's presence within the house.

The wards have fallen. And Harry is nowhere to be found. And 'Harry Potter' disappeared from the enchanted parchment that would write the information of where the child had gone to.

Albus wanted to lash out at something. He was deep in his rage.

7 years worth of effort, _wasted_.

Albus swore to himself he will find and bring back the Boy-Who-Lived, and set him to his destiny, all the while unaware the saddened gaze of Fawkes. The majestic phoenix shook its head in defeat.

/_I have lost you, dear friend. Gellert's defeat was too much for you, and you have lost your way./_

* * *

><p>—X—<p>

*roughly translates to : "We won't fight you." I'm not really that good in Japanese, apologies for mistakes.

—X—

**And the short prologue of the challenge! This'll be more detailed compared to A Dark Lord's Heir, so hopefully I can do this right. LYNX was more experienced with detailed fic while I lean to one-shots more.**

**Anyway, details of the challenge:**

**DZ2's 'The Samurai Sorcerer' Challenge**

**Plot:**In an effort to master the focus required to know true magical power, Harry is sent on a new path: the path of a Samurai

**Rules:**Harry's mentor in the Samurai Arts must become a guardian to him

Through training, Harry must unlock a Samurai Art that is magical e.g. elementals, beast command, shapeshifting, shadow power etc.

Harry's sword must be somehow enchanted

During training to be a Samurai, Harry is sent on missions/tasks to hone his skills

Upon becoming a Master Samurai, Harry must form his own clan

Either after becoming a Master or during training, Harry/his mentor allows one or two of his friends to become apprentices

**Guidelines:**All affinities are welcome _**Accepted**_

Crossovers _**Accepted (does only being mentioned count?)**_

Slash _**Undecided**_

Harry leaves Hogwarts for a land to be trained as a Samurai _**Accepted**_

Harry doesn't attend Hogwarts, but a magical school where swordsmanship is taught _**Accepted**_

All pairings are welcome _**Accepted**_

False Prophecy _**Accepted**_

Like a certain fandom, Harry develops a class of magical abilities: _like the Styles of Naruto__**Accepted**_

Harry has a familiar that transforms into his weapon _**Accepted**_

Archery and/or projectile weapons involved in Harry's training _**Accepted**_

**Forbidden:**Harry allying himself with the Order or Death Eaters

Golden Trio Bashing

The prophecy being true

Harry failing/abandoning his path

**Other than that, it's up to you**

**The 'undecided' means what it is. Please tell me your opinion!**

**Stand and BOW!**

**-nekoma**


	2. Chapter 2

"**Another language.**"

"Normal."

"_Emphasis/Beast Tongue/Spells_"

'Thoughts'

§_Parseltongue_§

/_Fawkes' speech/_

_-X-_

As soon as the shadows opened up, Harry felt dizzy and slightly nauseated as the spinning in his head stopped abruptly; the effects of Shadow Stepping to those who are new to it. He shook his head to try clear the nausea, only to want to retch.

"Urgh…" Mizu laughed lightly, stroking his back lightly to rid of the uneasy feeling.

"You'll get used to it soon. Now; walk with us." Harry was a little bit confused at the request, since they were in the middle of nowhere. There were only trees everywhere, spruces, oaks, trees he really couldn't quite identify.

But Harry _did _notice the peaceful atmosphere, sound of various animals in the distance and the smell of damp earth beneath their feet. It was pretty relaxing.

Harry looked up when they suddenly stopped walking, the young boy looking at Mizu in question. She smiled down at him, and nodded in the direction in front of him. He turned to look at where she was looking.

It was a very large tree, with soft pink blossoms growing on its branches. Some of it scattered as the wind blew, making a pink rain around them. Harry laughed lightly, reaching out with a hand and catching a pink bloom. He stared at it, mesmerized by its soft feel.

Mizu laughed in delight at his reaction. "Yes you should smile more often. You look better with it." She said softly, cat-like eyes softening. Harry frowned at her tone; it was like she had seen something a long time ago and only seeing it again recently.

"Why do you talk like you've seen me smile? Pretty sure we've never met." All three seemed to freeze for a split second for Shouichi gave him a small smile.

"We'll explain later. Now, you might want to watch this; it's pretty cool." With that the tree they'd been facing seemed to twist, untangling itself and before the awestruck Harry, it revealed a set of stairs that went underground.

He followed Mizu, Shouichi and Tetsu through the passage, watching it twist itself back and once again sealing the stairs. The tunnel was pitch black for several seconds before the sconces ling the wall lit up with soft blue flames, lighting the way.

The walls were covered with paintings, and judging from their slightly faded image, it was ancient. Harry didn't understand it, but he does understand that the paintings spoke of an old war. There were people in the painting wielding sword and various other weapons, but Harry found it strange some of them were holding short, thin sticks.

The short walk was silent, and at the end of the tunnel they stood before an old and damaged armor, sitting on a raised dais. Shouichi stepped forward, drawing the same short stick Harry saw on the paintings and pointed it the helmet of the armor.

Harry yelped in surprised when the armor moved, drawing a sword that unlike the state of the armor, it was still in perfect condition. Holding it in one hand, the moving armor pointed the tip at Shouichi's forehead, who didn't even flinch at the close proximity of the weapon.

He reached up and gripped the end of the sword without hesitation, letting his blood run down the blade and pool around the hilt, which glowed blue. There was also a blue flash from inside the armor's helm, and quite suddenly, roots appeared underneath Shouichi, twisting up and around him before enveloping him completely. The cocoon made out of roots sank back into the ground, leaving a rather horrified Harry behind.

Mizu gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, Shou-kun's safe. That would transport him directly to the Gate, he's not actually hurt. And the Chi-no-Katana recognizes Shou-kun's blood."

Harry swallowed thickly, looking at Mizu in uncertainty as Tetsu repeated Shouichi's action, once again being swallowed up by the roots. "Am I… Am I recognized?"

Mizu hesitated, before walking forward and taking Harry with her. She pointed her wand at the armor's chest this time.

"**Spirit of Kagu-tsuchi, a new one seeks entry.**" Harry shifted nervously when the armor move, the helmet shifting as if looking a Harry curiously. It looked back at Mizu after a minute.

"**The boy is a curious one. Raise him well.**"__Harry was very surprised when the voice sounded rather young, slightly deep and smooth. The armor looked at him once again, and drew a different sword, smaller than the one it held before.

Harry stared at the gleaming blade when it was held out to him, looking at the older girl for guidance. Mizu smiled, nodding at the blade.

"Make a small cut on your hand, the kodachi has magic so it won't hurt." She whispered encouragingly. Harry swallowed, and then nodded resolutely. If they weren't scared, he won't be scared too. And nicking his hand doesn't hurt as much as Uncle Vernon's words.

He took the kodachi, a little surprised at its weight despite being only a foot and a half in length, and he adjusted his grip on the cloth-wrapped handle, getting a feel of the beautiful weapon. When he felt comfortable enough, he held the tip against his right palm, his right hand being the less dominant though he was quite ambidextrous, and drew it across the skin.

Small droplets of blood seeped through the thin wound, bright red against the paleness of his skin. Harry was relieved and awed that it didn't hurt, like Mizu had said. He looked up at Mizu, who was smiling at him.

"Now, press your hand over where his heart should be." Mizu instructed, nodding at Kagu-tsuchi's armor. Harry nodded, took a deep breath, and walked forward, hand outstretched. He pressed his bloodied hand to the armor's chest, and it glowed pure white for a moment, before turning back to normal.

"**Greetings, young one. May Izanagi and Izanami welcome you to their home.**" Harry had no clue what the armor had said, but he figured it would be some sort of welcome, seeing as Mizu guided him back towards her just as the armor drew the longer one again, pointing it in Harry's direction.

Harry didn't hesitate this time in gripping the sword, his right hand turning comfortably warm as he let his blow flow down the blade. He watched in fascination as roots shot out from the ground as soon as the sword's hilt turned blue, the roots forming a cocoon around him. He grinned back at Mizu before she completely disappeared behind the organic wall, and he braced himself against it when it suddenly moved and jerked.

He didn't know how long it took, but he felt the roots unravel, and he winced when bright light shone in his face.

"Ah, there he is." Harry looked up upon hearing Shouichi's voice, blinking rapidly as he adjusted to the light. The older boy was grinning at him, surrounded by five others.

There were three girls; one with long rose-coloured hair and two were twins, bearing same strawberry blonde hair. The other two were guys; Tetsu and a guy with jade eyes and dirty white hair. Harry blinked at them,

"Hullo." He said, blinking owlishly at them. Shouichi chuckled, putting a hand on his shoulder and pulling him closer gently, just as Mizu arrived as well.

"**Guys, this is Harry Potter. He was the one emitting those magic pulses almost a year ago. Up close his magic's a lot more potent, yeah? Ah, where are the others?**" Harry didn't understood what Shouichi said, but if his name was mentioned, it might mean the older boy was introducing him. All of them don't look alike, so Harry assumed they were friends. Or maybe even cousins. He'll have to ask Mizu later.

"Hello, Harry Potter. Ve are da von Krauss sisters." The twin girls said in unison, giving him small smiles as they bowed in greeting. "Ve are honored to meet you."

Harry blushed to the roots of his hair, unused to the respect and the warmness in their voice. Not that he was complaining.

The others only waved at him with smiles, so Harry figured they couldn't understand or speak English yet. The guy with dirty white hair was talking a little fast with Shouichi, and a deep frown marred Shouichi's face.

"Harry-kun." The young boy turned, and smiled when he saw it was Mizu who spoke to him. She jerked her head to the side.

"Hey, let's get in the house. The others are coming to meet you." She whispered in an excited way, a small spring in her step. This also excited the young Harry, who forgot all his worries as soon as the chance of meeting new people came. He would admit he was both excited and nervous, but if they can be his new friends, he'll be all for it.

The area they were currently occupying was slightly familiar in setting to Harry, only seeing it in passing in the telly or the magazines Aunt Petunia reads. It was called a Zen garden, one that is in trend in Oriental homes in the East. Small potted trees are found here and there, stone statues of dogs (or were they lions?) and the occasional shrub littering the side of the pebble walkway.

Harry tugged at Mizu's hand gently, getting her attention. "Where are we?" He asked, his innocent mind urging him to learn and know his surroundings. Mizu winked at him and pressed a finger to her lips.

"I can't say the exact location; but I'll tell you the country. We're in Japan." She whispered, before pausing as if in thought. "Do you mind that we took you away from your home?"

Harry shook his head sadly. "My teacher said a home is made up of a family loving each other. They're real happy and no one's angry. Don' think they love me…"

Mizu's hand tightened briefly, before she forced herself to calm down. "Well, they won't bother you anymore. We'll make sure of that. Anyway, let's go, let's go!"

Mizu's suddenly cheerful mood was contagious, seeing as Harry was all smiles again. The garden was huge, and when they passed the Inner Gate, the house was even bigger. It didn't go past two floors, but it was the sprawling type of house, form some sort of web since each room or area was connected by 'bridges'.

"This is the summer house of the Arianrhod brothers. All of us live here since this is the most protected and hidden, unlike some of our properties. The place is also large enough for us to live comfortably, since the main house is around… I think it was half an acre large. You can also find somewhere in the main the onsen, dojo and roost." She informed him as they joined the others, heading somewhere that Harry doesn't know.

"What's an 'onsen' and a 'dojo'?"

"Those mean 'hot springs' and 'training hall' respectively." Shouichi interjected smoothly, answering Harry's question before Mizu could. Said girl stuck her tongue out at Shouichi, before turning back to Harry and ignoring the other teen for the rest of the mini tour.

xXxXxXxXx

In the past few hours, Harry was introduced to the other inhabitants of the summer house, all of them either two, three or four years older than him. There was also an adult living with them, but the man and four others were still unavailable due to severe injuries and needed their rest.

All of them welcomed Harry with open arms, much to his surprise and confusion. He asked why do they readily accept him when they do not know him? They had said he started emitting pulses of power the last year, on his seventh birthday; signs of his magical core ready to take on an affinity. The pulses were powerful, yet hidden enough that it can only be sensed by those who knew what to look for.

Of course they would pick it up, seeing as they were trained to sense it after all. And due to their curiosity to know who was emitting such powerful pulses, they searched for him. It took a long while, but when they did, they were both shocked and horrified.

Shock because of who he is, the Boy-Who-Lived, Slayer of the Dark Lord, the Heir to the Potters and several wizarding families. And horror, to witness the abuse of his _relatives_. They could only watch and lie in wait for the right time, seeing as they were still occupied with the Japanese Blood War, they could only disappear for so long. And they sensed wards around the house. If it sensed their magical signatures, whoever was keeping Harry there would know.

Harry asked who they came to know so much about his history, when he himself knows nothing. They reminded him with a sad smile that he was a wizard, and a powerful one if the pulses were any indication, and is very famous in the wizarding world.

The Potters was an Ancient and Most Noble House that had been traced all the way to the 14th century, a few centuries after Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was founded. They were also descended from the Peverells, the most powerful wizarding family back in the 10th century, where the mythical Peverell Brothers – the ones who were said to own the mythical Deathly Hallows – came from.

And on the topic of Hogwarts, Mizu and the others explained that it was a school for wizards and witches like Harry, who are admitted when they come of age. Harry was excited at the prospect of going to a magical school, but quickly deflated when he realized he still had to wait two years. They laughed and assured him he won't be bored while in the Arianrhod summer house while they were around, and Harry brightened up considerably when they promised to teach him things. They ended the meeting at that, seeing as it was well into the afternoon, and some of them had business – whatever it was – to attend to, and Harry was escorted to his new room.

After changing into a summer yukata (Shouichi was the one to teach him how to put it on) Harry was given permission to wander around the estate grounds, as long as it was inside the Inner Gate. The Outer Gate was two miles from the Inner, and thus was home to Arranz (the youngest Arianrhod) 'pets'. Harry asked if they had dogs or cats around, and some had coughed rather violently and some paled. Shinjirou, or more known as Shinji, laughed and said that his half-brother didn't have those at the moment, and said that Arranz preferred to have 'big, pretty, and dangerous' pets. Harry cocked his head to the side in confusion, before shrugging and letting it go.

At the moment Harry amused himself with feeding the fishes at the koi pond, some of the brightly coloured fish larger and thicker than his forearm. He was sitting on the edge of the bridge, dangling his feet half a foot from the water's surface, giggling at the funny sounds the kois made every time they break the surface of the water.

"Hm?" Harry looked up at the slow, haunting sound he heard. Straining his ears, he heard it again, this time a little stronger. He got up, and after putting back the bag of fish feed on the bridge post, he began to follow the sound.

Harry knew he hadn't gone to this part of the summer house before, and he felt bad for going, but he can't help but try to find out where the music was coming from. It alternated from hauntingly slow, before transitioning to a fast tempo, the playing almost frantic. It was mesmerizing, and even though Harry knew nothing about music, he knew the music spoke of something, maybe something tragic.

A flash of deep blue came from Harry's peripheral vision, and he whirled, catching a glimpse of a yukata's hem disappearing around the corner. He frowned, none of the others had worn deep blue earlier, and they stuck with either white or any light colors.

He followed it, peeping around the corner to see if the person was still there. It was, and he disappeared inside a room, the sliding door closing beside them. Harry noticed the music was stronger now, and he realized it was coming from that room. He crept closer, years of sneaking down coming into play.

"**How's your injury?**_**" **_Harry paused, hearing Japanese from inside. He finally figured out if they were in Japan, they must be speaking Japanese. It only made sense, after all. The music stopped, and there was a light chuckle.

"**I'm fine, brother. So, what can I do for you?**" Another voice responded. Harry stayed perfectly still, hearing the soft sound of rustling inside. There were a few twangs from whatever stringed instrument was inside, but it formed no music.

"**Shinji said Mizu and Shou-kun returned with **_**him**_**. Actually, I think he was following me earlier.**" There was a surprised sound from inside, and Harry blinked. What could they be talking about? He knew Mizu's name was mentioned, but who's Shou? Maybe it's Shouichi's nickname. There was a light chuckle, and the voice that spoke before continued, "**In fact…**"

"**In fact…**" Harry suddenly yelped when the panel he was slightly leaning on moved, throwing him off balance. He almost toppled over backwards, but was thankfully caught by whoever owned those strong arms. Harry looked up in alarm, emerald meeting silver eyes. There was a wide smile on the man's – he seemed to be around 20 – making Harry blink several times.

"You sneak very well. Did you know that?" Harry flushed at the amused question scrambling to right himself. He was helped up by the man, how was still smiling at him.

"I-I'm sorry. I d-didn't m-mean to go sneaking l-like that!" Harry stuttered out, face deep red in embarrassment. The man chuckled, putting a hand on the young boy's shoulder and guiding him over to the other occupant of the room.

Harry finally got a good look at both of them, and realized they looked very much similar. They could easily pass as brothers. Both of them had the same silver haired, silver eyes, pale skin and the strangely long canine teeth. But the difference was that the older one had fuller and longer hair, a scar running across his right eye. The younger one had his hair cut short, the fringe framing his face swept to the left and the hair at the nape of his neck growing to reach his lower back.

The other similarity was that from what Harry could see through the openings in their yukata were that they're wrapped in bandages.

The younger one grinned at him, "So, you're Harry Potter, right? Shinji told us that you arrived." He stated with a smile, adjusting on his futon so he could face the younger boy better. Harry cocked his head to the side, embarrassment finally eased.

"Um… I'm sorry but, who are you?" The two brothers blinked, looked at each other, then back to Harry. The older one shook his head.

"Ah, apologies. We forgot our manners. I am Eion Moralltach Arianrhod, Lord of my family." He said, bowing his head in Harry's direction. The younger one copied his brother's movements, his grin never leaving his face.

"I'm Arranz Tyrfing Arianrhod, Heir of my family. We are honored to meet you." Harry flushed at the 'honored' bit, never once hearing that kind of words and giving him a sense of pride in himself. Harry noticed they large instrument beside Arranz, and the younger silverette followed his gaze, and turned back to him with a grin.

"Ah, I was playing earlier. Come, sit with us. We're still a bunch of sick idiots so I'm stuck here in my room." Arranz adjusted himself, moving the large instrument before him and donning three picks tied to his thumb, index finger and middle finger on his right hand, cracking his knuckles and rotating his shoulders. "This is called a koto, by the way."

He plucked a few strings, hands poised over the numerous strings. He took a deep breath, before plucking the first few chords-

"Arranz, Eion! Da Tengu have- Oh. Harry-kun. You're here." The three men in the room looked at the new arrival, which was one of the von Krauss sisters, which one Harry wasn't sure. She grinned at all of them, jerking her head to the side in a 'follow me' gesture.

"Da Karasu-Tengu have arrived. Suzumetsuru-sama is also with them." She exclaimed excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Arranz's eyes widened considerably.

"The Tsuru-Tengu came?!" He squeaked, shock and excitement in his voice. The girl nodded in affirmation, grinning at Harry all the while.

"Ja, she has. She vants to meet Harry-kun!"

—X—

Koto – a Japanese traditional instrument with thirteen strings.

Karasu-Tengu – Crow Tengu. Japanese yokai that symbolizes war and destruction. Though they are also portrayed as protectors. In this fic they are magical creatures, having human forms, like a Veela. Their trademarks are the large raven wings and the ability Beast Tongue, the ability to speak with beasts except for serpentine creatures.

Tsuru-Tengu – Crane Tengu. I don't know if this is really in Japanese myths, but I guess I can go make up some Tengu breeds. Highest order of Tengu, the 'Emperors' of the Tengu. They symbolize nobility and purity, and honorable battle.

Kagu-tsuchi – The Fire God in Japanese myths, son of Izanami-no-Mikoto. The Japanese gods are ancient wizards in this fic. Yay.

—X—

**Please review again! I was highly motivated by the last one, even though it was just only one.**

**R&R pls!**

**-nekoma**

**P.S – Question time!**

***Who would like for Harry to be friends with? In all honesty, I really don't like Ron and Hermione that much, but I'm not going to bash them; merely avoid them.**

***Slash or no slash?**

***I'm not supposed to ask but whatever; pick from 2 to 6.**

**Bye! **


	3. Chapter 3

Harry followed a limping Arranz and Eion to where the 'ten-goo' would be, whatever a 'ten-goo' was he didn't know. The others were already in the Zen garden, all of them excited for some reason. Especially Shinji, Yuuto and Arranz.

Harry tugged at Mizu's sleeve, who happened to be nearby, getting the older girl's attention.

"Mizu, what's a 'ten-goo'?" Mizu smiled at him, leaning close to whisper in his ear.

"You'll see- Ah! Here they come!" Harry looked around, seeing no one approaching. He frowned. Where are they?

The sound of flapping wings was heard, and Harry immediately looked up, his jaw dropping as he saw four _large_ crows fly into view, landing on the middle of the garden. Another bird, a larger one and pure white except for the back and red feathers on the tip of its wings, followed, gracefully landing behind the crows. The birds bowed their heads towards the children, and they replied with a bow, eyes lowered to the ground.

Harry copied them, looking on curiously.

He gasped in astonishment as the birds glowed brightly, having to cover his eyes since it had hurt.

The light subsided after a moment or two, and what Harry saw made his jaw drop.

Instead of seeing birds, Harry saw five people; four males and a woman.

Two of the men were younger – twins - and maybe around their early 30's and the other two are obviously older by two decades. One bore a striking resemblance to Shinji – but with only black hair – and the other was a complete clone of Yuuto, complete with the wine red hair.

Ah, their fathers, then.

The woman was the one who caught Harry's attention the most. The young boy couldn't help but stare, and then he flushed bright red when she looked his way and smiled widely.

The woman had snow white hair, the tips turning to black and then transitioning into deep red, like the wing feathers of a crane. Her white kimono had ridiculously long sleeves, sweeping the ground and bearing feather-like patterns in black, white and red.

Her features were clearly Oriental, almond shaped eyes accentuated by red eyeliners, lips painted soft red, and porcelain white skin. There was a strange looking marking on her forehead, adding a small bit of mystery to her beauty.

The woman held a hand out to Harry, who made a small surprised noise and moved to hid behind Mizu in embarrassment.

"**Is he the one?**" Her voice was soft, melodic, and Harry couldn't help but be awed by it. He peeked around Mizu, meeting the woman's warm onyx eyes. Mizu nudged him forward gently, chuckling, but Harry didn't let go of her hand, still a little nervous of the new people.

"**Yes, it's him. He's named Harry Potter.**_**"**_ Harry guessed that he was being introduced, so he imitated how the others would bow when they were greeting in each other.

"H-hi, I'm Harry. Harry Potter." Harry didn't know if they could understand him, but he guesses they could, judging from the smile the woman gave him.

"It is a great honour to meet you, Harry Potter." The woman bowed low, the other males following suit, though they kneeled instead of simply bowing, "I am called Suzumetsuru-no-Kaze, the reigning Empress of the Daitengu."

The two younger Tengu rose, dipping their head once before introducing themselves. Harry also realized they were twins, the one on the left speaking first.

"I am Tsumekarasu-no-Kaze, 4th Daitengu." His twin continued where his twin left off, flashing Harry strangely long canines in a grin. "I'm Hanekarasu-no-Kaze, 3rd Daitengu, honored to meet you."

Harry bowed to them, a little stiff due to nerves, and the older Tengu got their turn in introducing themselves.

"Mekarasu-no-Kaze, 2nd Daitengu."

"Shinzokarasu-no-Kaze, 1st Daitengu and the right hand of the Empress." Harry's jaw dropped.

_They're royalty?_

Harry bowed again, flushing when he realized he didn't show proper attitude. "P-p-pleased to meet you ma'am, sirs! I am very honoured to meet the Empress Suzu…" Harry frowned, realizing he didn't quite catch the woman's name. "Suzumeh-chu-ruu."

The woman blinked in surprise, before covering her mouth with a dainty hand, head turned to the side to partly conceal her amusement as she chuckled silently. She then approached Harry, whose face became redder (shouldn't there be a limit in how red a person's face can go? Guess not) as the pretty woman approached.

She leaned down towards him, cupping his face with a cool hand as she smiled at him widely. Harry found himself relaxing against the woman's touch, since it felt _so nice_ and no one had ever touched him like that before. It made warmth spread in his chest.

"Such a precious child. You may call me Suzume; it's easier to pronounce, no?" Harry tried the shortened name, letting it roll over his tongue until he could say it with ease. He managed, and he beamed up happily at Suzume, who looked pleased at him.

"It is an honour, Suzume." He exclaimed, finally letting go of Mizu's sleeve as he subconsciously stepped closer to Suzume. The woman nodded, before turning to the other children.

"It is good to see all of you are well. I trust you are well on your way to healing, little Koujiro?" She faced Eion as she spoke the last part, using an unfamiliar name to address the man. And Harry noticed she used 'little', even though they looked to be the same age.

Eion nodded, his hand falling on Arranz's uninjured shoulder as the younger boy looked up at him.

"Yes, we are. The medicines are doing wonders, and we have you to thank for that." Suzume waved a hand dismissively, eyes alight with satisfaction.

"Don't be; we are family, and it is our duty to look out for each other, no? Ah, young Yuuto, young Shinji. It has been a while since I've seen the both of you together." Both mentioned boys grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of their necks as they remembered by away from each other _almost all _of the time in the war, when they were told to stay close to each other for their safety.

It was really fortunate that they only got injuries that would heal over time, leaving no lasting damage to their bodies.

Suzume looked around again, taking a deep breath, hands spread out a little to the sides as she turned her face up. "Ah, it has been to long since our last reunion." She breathed.

Eion immediately perked up, "Would you like a celebration?"

Suzume smiled, shaking her head. "No, it shall be for another time, I suppose. I merely wished to see all of you." She then turned to Arranz, who looked ready to run all over the estate due to excitement.

"Little Ginji…! Ah, may you play for us while I sing? It _has_ been a while since I've sung for my children." With that, she twirled on the spot, before sitting down in _midair _as she beamed at the others, her own canines long.

The way she acts made Harry cock his head to the side, finding her a little strange.

'But she seems nice…' His thought trailed off as he watched Arranz and his brother disappeared back into the house, as everyone in the garden settled somewhere to wait, surrounding Suzume who had her eyes closed and swayed back and forth a little, humming to herself for now.

Harry looked at Mizu, who was having a quiet conversation with Shouichi beside her. He tugged gently at her sleeve to call for her attention, which he got a moment later. She nodded to Shouichi before turning to him, a small smile on her face.

"Yes?"

"Suzume… She's a little weird." He stated bluntly. Mizu blinked, before collapsing into a fit of silent giggles, unable to control herself.

"Well, that's just how it is. Half a millennia with no one but her brothers for company isn't really a good thing." Harry's jaw dropped, knowing what 'half a millennia' meant. "That and they were trapped in a mountain shrine for the same amount of time."

"They're _that_ old?"

"Yeah, pureblooded Tengu live to a millennium and a quarter, while Tengu half-bloods only get to live for 350 years. Yuuto, Shinji and Arranz are the only one with Tengu blood here; that's why we know quite a fair amount about Tengu." Mizu explained, looking up as Arranz and Eion came back with the koto, the younger Arianrhod settling him near Suzume as she smiled at him.

Arranz began plucking a few chords, testing them, as everyone settled into a comfortable silence. Then after making sure he remembered all the notes, he began to play, starting out strong and fast. Harry was amazed at how fast Arranz's fingers were, working in unison and at the same time separately, spinning a song of incredible complexity.

Suzume sang along, though it was wordless and somehow reminded Harry of a bird's trilling, melodic, calming and beautiful. The young Potter felt drawn to it, feeling himself relax and content. He saw the others felt the same way, and he smiled in wonder of it all.

'Wow, who would've thought this kind of world exists?'

The Tengu twins rose from where they sat, smiles on their faces as the moved to the center, facing each other while standing a few meters apart. They ran their hands through the air, as if caressing something invisible. Harry's jaw dropped when frost seemed to collect at the area where their hands went through, before swords materialized at the same time.

The twins gripped their swords in both hands, sweeping low in a bow, before sliding to their left simultaneously. Harry wasn't sure, but it looked like a dance to him, though with highly dangerous swords.

The twins would meet at the middle, then moved away from each other, and then meeting each other on a different point. Their swords would cross, be placed against their necks, or they would exchange hands, in a strange pattern.

Harry thought it was strange for a dance, but he supposed it was that culture in the magical world and Japan is different from what he was used to.

"This is called the 'Dance of Blade Brothers'," Mizu whispered to him, without opening her eyes, swaying a little bit back and forth. Harry turned to look at her.

"Blade Brothers?" Mizu turned to look down at him, opening her eyes.

"Two people – guys in this case – who swears on their sword and magic they'll never do the other harm, in any form. And if the two participants are already related in some way, then it'll just deepen the bond. Yuuto, Shinji, Arranz, Shuu, Rikku and I are Blade Siblings."

Harry nodded to let the girl know he understand, turning back to the dance. It seemed to be ending, with both Tengu presenting each other their swords, bowed at the waist and eyes lowered in respect.

"That position means we're entrusting ourselves to the other, since our weapons and magic are like extensions of ourselves; our very life. This is a very big deal, so don't go offering to Dance with just whoever you like." Mizu explained in a whisper.

Harry nodded, before turning to watch them once more. The song ended soon, and fun chaos erupted as the children got up and started running all over the place.

The more he watched them having fun, the more noticeable the weird feeling in his chest was. It was making his chest tight, hard to breathe, and it was until he saw Arranz and Eion playing tag he realized what he was feeling.

_Jealousy_.

He never had family, or anyone to call family. But these people here, they were family, and a happy one at that.

Harry was an outsider, merely a guest, and he was no way a part of their family. Mizu may have offered to him that they'll become 'family', but he didn't share the same blood with them.

Harry caught himself thinking about these, and he stopped himself, ashamed for his jealousy. He should be happy for them, not envy them.

But still, it hurts having no family.

He felt someone staring at him, and when he looked up he saw Suzume looking at him, smiling sadly. He cocked his head to the side,

'Why is she looking at me like that?' He thought, before sighing to himself softly and turning back to where Mekarasu and Shinzokarasu were having a mock fight, surrounded by the cheering children.

While he was there in the sidelines, watching from a distance.

xXxXxXx

"What troubles you, child?" Harry started at the sudden voice, whipping around too fast that his head spun for a moment, before his blurry eyes focused on the figure of Suzume, who was approaching him.

Harry turned back to the koi below him, shaking his head. "Nothin'…"

He had snuck out here to have privacy, the pangs in his chest getting stronger the longer he watched the family having their fun in the garden.

He felt a cool hand settle on his small shoulders, and he looked up, meeting the sad face of Suzume. She sat down next to him on the bridge, long legs tucked beneath her elegantly as she took a handful of fish feed, casting it into the water and watching the colourful fishes gobble it all up.

"You know, I'm also a little envious of my own brothers." She stated out of the blue, surprising the young boy. Suzume gazed longingly at the water, especially at the group of baby fishes swimming by. "Mekarasu and Shinzokarasu already have sons - Shinzo having two – and Tsume and Hane are now married to their wives. Children should be expected soon."

Suzume chuckled weakly, lifting a hand up with her palm facing upwards. Small soft yellow balls of flame appeared – making Harry's jaw drop in astonishment – before pushing it forwards, the flame multiplying and spreading around them and casting a soft flow on the water.

They were silent for a good while. The sky gradually darkened, painting the sky dark blue as the sun disappeared behind the mountains surrounding them in the distance.

Harry looked at Suzume, a frown on his face.

"Why… Why are you jealous? Aren't you allowed to marry?" He asked, swinging his feet idly. Suzume smiled at him, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"Oh, I can marry. It's just that…" She hesitated for a moment, before blinking and staring forward, face suddenly devoid of emotion. "I can't bear any children."

Harry started, dropping his eyes. He kept silent, not knowing how to react. He may be young, but he perfectly understood what it means to not be able to bear any children. Awkward silence ensued, which was broken by Suzume.

"I… I may be hoping for too much, even deluding myself… But…" She trailed off, eyes now unsure. Harry waited for her, patient and unmoving.

"What is it?" Harry asked when Suzume kept silent, her eyes holding conflict within them. She finally sighed after a moment, steeling herself as she turned to Harry, sitting upright on her heels, hands on her lap.

"This may be sudden, but…" She placed her left hand on the ground, followed by her right hand, before she bowed, forehead resting on the ground. "May I have the honour and joy of having you as my own child and heir?"

It took Harry approximately a minute to fully process what her words meant; his jaw dropping lower and lower in the process. Did Suzume just ask him that? He thought his ears were playing tricks on him, but seeing as the woman was still bowing, he heard right.

But could he really…? There was nothing to lose, and everything to gain….

But he wouldn't be Harry Potter anymore… He liked being himself.

"But… But I won't be Harry…" Suzume's head shot up, hopefulness in her eyes. She sat up tenderly holding Harry's smaller hand in her own.

"Then you shall stay as Harry Potter. A name is merely a title of sorts, something for people to call us, but if…" She swallowed, her eyes beginning to shine, before continuing. "If you'll be my heir, then that is what you'll be; my pride, my love, my **son**. Whether you're named Harry or not."

Harry was shocked by the emotion in her voice, and her willingness to take him as her son. Was she really that desperate to even look at him – simple human child – when they were other, better, children?

"Why me though?" He asked. Suzume smiled, touching his hair softly.

"Because, you and I are the same… It may be a bit presumptuous of me, but that what I think. I don't know the love of a child, and-" She stopped abruptly, a hand flying up to her mouth as she realized she rambled. Harry might've cocked his head to the side and frown in confusion, but he understood what her words meant.

He sat up straighter, a determined look in his wide eyes. Suzume was suddenly stunned by the expression on his face.

It wasn't a look an 8-year-old can give. It was a face of an adult. It looked so wrong and _so_ right on his youthful face.

"Let's have a deal then." He said. Suzume could only stare, so Harry continued. "You have magic, right? Then let me be both Harry Potter _and _your son. They'll be different, but the same, too."

To say Suzume was stunned was an understatement. But despite her disbelief, hopefulness filled her.

"You… You would…?"

"Yes." The answer was immediate, but internally, Harry was debating with himself if this was the right thing to do.

The hug was sudden, shocking the young boy into silence. Suzume was hugging him - and quite tight, too – so he was stuck to patting her back awkwardly. The female Tengu was muttering 'thank you' over and over, rocking both of them back and forth together as she wept in joy.

After a moment, she finally pulled back, though she cupped Harry's face with both hands and looked at him dead in the eyes. Her onyx held his emerald eyes, and Harry found himself fascinated by how dark her eyes were.

"Then, as my son, I'll name you…" She trailed off, eyes going out of focus for a moment before it sharpened again, a warm smile spreading on her beautiful face.

"Haruto Suzume, my dear heir."

—X—

Daitengu – the ruling class. I'm not sure if this is according to the myths (curse my failing memory) but in here, they are…. Not that there's a lot of Tengu to begin with.

Suzumetsuru-no-Kaze – means 'Suzumetsuru of the Wind'. I don't think Tengu have last names, so I made up an… Whatcha callit? Title or something? Whatever. Goes the same with the other Tengu.

Dance of the Blade Brothers – of course there's no such thing as this in Japanese culture. I take creative liberty in this. And write up a scene with people dancing with swords.

—X—

**This. Is. BLOODY. Late. And not to mention rushed and half-assed.**

**I know, and I'm sorry. Got sidetracked by several projects in school – which included writing a short story for our Filipino class, which sucks big time in my book - , and a nice move called 'The Maze Runner'. Yeah, shameless advertising there.**

**And this was rushed, and the latter half of this chapter is out of whack because the author herself is out of whack. Did that make sense? No? Okay.**

**And it's prolly a bit late, but:**

**I don't own Harry Potter or anything related to that franchise. And I think so does the Maze Runner.**

**Stand and BOW!**

**-nekoma**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hnn... I think I should just respond here or whatever. Maybe next chap.**

**Seriously, you guys should pick a number from 2 to 6, this will affect the story!**

**Anyway, on wards.**  
>—X—<p>

Six months.

It was only six months after accepting Suzume's offer, and Harry was very surprised to find out he liked being Haruto Suzume more. More than liked, actually. He bloody _loved _it.

After Suzume announced that she was going to adopt Harry, all of the others were stunned into silence, before bursting out into cheers. They ended up having a celebration – and a big one at that due to Eion's insistence – and Harry, or Haruto now, was even more overwhelmed.

There were lots of food, beverages of all kinds – though Haruto spat out one particularly nasty one he blindly tried – and most of all; he felt welcomed.

Like he belonged there.

Not long after that night, Suzume and the other Tengu initiated the blood-adoption, under a new moon, to make everything official.

Haruto was scared at first, but he was determined, so he accepted the bladed that was offered to him and spill some of his blood and into the cup to begin the ritual. Suzume followed, pouring her own blood in a different cup. Both have been mixed into a ceremonial bowl, where they both drank in turns till the red liquid was gone.

And since Harry – or Haruto, now that the adoption has been finalized – is the Blood Receiver, it was him that will be change to resemble his Blood Sire.

Black hair turned to white, bearing a few strands of black and red at the ends as it straightened out and lengthened a bit, stopping just above his shoulders. His rosy skin turned a lot paler, though not the sickly-looking pale, and he seemed to grow a couple of inch and his stick-thin body filled out a little.

Haruto suddenly couldn't see with his decrepit glasses on, and he was absolutely shocked – and pleased – when he found out his vision was restored to perfection. His green eyes had darkened into near-black, though a few flecks of green could be seen in the proper lighting. His face also gained an effeminate look to it, the sharpness disappearing.

All in all he looked pretty damn beautiful, in Arranz's own words.

What came with the transformation were familial connections. The Karasu-Tengu are his uncles, so that made Yuuto, Shinji and Arranz his cousins. To say he was happy was quite an understatement.

Arranz had started spoiling him rotten, because as the 'eldest cousin' (meaning he was ahead of them by _only_ a few months), he was obligated to pamper his younger cousins. Haruto politely declined to be spoiled _every single day_, so he made a deal that only – and _only_ – once a month will Arranz be able to spoil him.

Shinji and Yuuto reacted in a much more normal way; acting like older brothers to the newest Tsuru-Tengu of the family. They weren't overly harsh, but they would rough Haruto up from time to time to test and push him to his limits.

Haruto didn't know how to react to his new cousins at first, but a few weeks later, he had settled and accepted them whole-heartedly.

Suzume… Was surprisingly a good mother. Not that Haruto doubted her abilities, but for someone who was trapped in a mountain shrine for half a millennia, she acted like she had children before. She would shower him with love and care; teach him things he should know as a Tsuru-Tengu, among other things.

And since his Blood Sire was a creature, Haruto was told that he was now also a Creature himself, his new blood expelling every drop Muggle blood in his system. This in turn made him a pureblood in the eyes of the Wizarding World, because it was believed that mating with Creatures is far better than mating with non-magical _Muggles_.

Most of the old pureblooded families were all about preserving magical life, anyways, so mating with Creatures would be totally acceptable. Haruto was confused and weirded out at first, but grew to accept that this was the Wizarding world, so crazy things are to be expected.

And the best part that he'll be able to grow wings. _Wings!_ The only set back that it won't grow until he was thirteen and would grow to its full form until he's sixteen.

Ugh.

Oh well, at least he would still have them.

"Whatcha doin', Haru?" Haruto looked up and scowled at Arranz, who simply smiled back cheekily at him.

"Stop calling me 'Haru'," He groused, "It sounds like a bloody girl's name."

"Because you look _like_ a girl!" Arranz cocked his head to the side. "For now, anyways. You'll grow out of it when you reach fifteen."

Haruto rolled his eyes. "Really helpful there."

The young Arianrhod laughed, before calming himself down and sitting next to Haruto, who turned back to feeding the koi. They were silent for a while until another person – Shinji – jogged over to them.

"Hey, you guys saw Kazu?" Haruto looked up his cousin, and noticed that Shinji wore strange clothes.

Metal plates covered his chest, forearms and hips, the clothes under them looking like expensive Acromantula silk instead of the usual Egyptian cotton they wear. Two swords were fastened to his left hip, and Haruto saw strange markings on Shinji's neck and forehead.

"What're you wearing?" Haruto asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Shinji glanced down and Arranz suddenly slapped his forehead.

"So that's why I forgot something! Wait here; I'll get the lazy bum." Arranz darted away after that, leaving Shinji and Haruto alone. The Tsuru-Tengu looked at the older boy, who finally remembered the earlier question.

"Oh, yeah. It's ceremonial hunting attire. Kazu and I were finally picked by Kari-no-Kami's statue to hunt our Kirin. It's like a Rite of Passage here in Japan." Haruto tilted his head to the side, not comprehending. Shinji sighed a little and tried again, with a little more detail.

"Once we turn 10 years old, the Hunting God – Kari-no-Kami – picks pureblooded children to hunt and defeat his pets; the Kirin. And now, Kirin are very dangerous Creatures, and each one is tied to a single element of the world. If we defeat the Kirin, we earn the right of being in the Japanese Royal Court and bring honor to our name. We fail; shame and banishment is our reward."

Haruto made a face, "That's a cheerful fact." He turned to Shinji, "Since I'm adopted by Ofukuro, would I have to take this Rite of Passage?"

"Yep." Shinji replied, popping the 'p'. Arranz came back a moment later after that with Kazuki in tow, who wore the same attire as Shinji but looking more nervous. Shinji patted Kazuki's armored shoulder.

"Calm down. You're with me."

"But what if I mess up?"

"You won't."

"Let's say _if_ I did mess up." Shinji shrugged, unconcerned.

"We'll deal with that when that happens. Now let's go." The two Participants of the Hunt left, the others trailing behind them until they reached the Inner Gate.

Haruto noticed that almost everyone in the family was there, even the Tengu, so he assumed this would be a very big event. He watched as Eion pulled a wand – Haruto finally realized what they are – and gave a simple wave.

Roots immediately sprung from the ground, and Haruto was startled for a moment before forcing himself to relax. The Roots were the fastest way to the Outer Gate, and Haruto was excited to see what's outside the estate. He had only been to the summer house and the mountain shrine, but he never actually got the chance to explore Magical Japan.

'I ought to have Arranz take me around sometime.' he thought, just as the roots opened up and the young Tsuru-Tengu saw the others were exiting their own. Haruto dusted himself from the leaves the clung to his haori, and he looked up when he left a familiar pair of hands land on his shoulder. He smiled widely at Suzume.

"Ofukuro," He greeted, kissing her cheek as she bent down. Suzume kissed her son's forehead, smiling widely as she offered him her hand.

"Come, the human Portkey is about to activate." She said, guiding him to where the others had gathered. Haruto wondered what a Portkey was, and he saw a simple – if not old – satchel lying on the ground in the middle of their group.

"Everybody hands on the Portkey; it's one way so I don't want anyone to get left behind." Eion called in a loud voice, moving to put a hand on the book. The others did the same, their bodies adjusting and twisting so that everybody could have a hand on the item.

Haruto decided not to ask what is was, since he had a feeling he would find out in a moment. He wasn't disappointed. With a tugging feeling behind his navel, all of them Portkeyed to the Hunting Grounds.

xXxXxXxXx

The Hunt happened in a very large area of woodlands and near the base of the sacred mountain; Daikami-no-Yama, in the Island of Ichiareta. It was a mythical island in the eyes Muggles, but in actuality, it was hidden inside impregnable wards by the Japanese Ministry of Magic.

Haruto and the others were led to a small yet cozy hut, where they could watch Shinji and Kazuki's Hunt from the recording that came from the Sentry Sparrows.

The Hunt was exhilarating – if not dangerous – and it made Harry wonder if he could also succeed when it was his turn for the Hunt.

The Kirin was a large beast, twice the size of a bear yet having a horse-like body. Pale brown scales covered it from head to foot – except for the belly and chest – rendering it hard to damage. Long coarse hair grew from where its mane should be, and along its back to connect with the whip-like tail. The legs ended not in hooves but paws; with claws long enough to rip your head clean from your shoulders with a single swipe. Sharp antlers adorned the top of it head, above the three pairs of toad-like eyes.

The snout was filled with jagged teeth, dripping with something like venom, and its wail sounded like a cross between nails dragged against the chalkboard, the roar of a lion, and a cry of a newborn baby.

The Kirin was terrifying, in other words. And Haruto felt like someone dropped lead in his stomach. And the worst thing about the Kirin was that it controlled the element of Nature. Which was unfortunate since the Creature took the Hunt deep into the forest.

There were a lot of close calls; Shinji almost thrown off his horse when he came _too_ close to the cliff, Kazuki nearly gored by the antlers, almost crushed by the treants (tree creatures that the Kirin summoned), being choked by ivy, among others.

Haruto prayed to whatever gods the Japanese worshipped to guide his cousin and Kazuki, and he gave a huge sigh of relief when the two succeeded; plunging both their swords into the Creature's heart. It was like his prayer was _indeed_ answered. Who would've thought?

The Kirin didn't dropped dead like Haruto expected, but rather, shook it mane and gave another wail, before bowing and touching Shinji and Kazuki in the chest with its antlers. Two small green lights burst out from the chest of the Kirin, and flew into Shinji and Kazuki, who moved to cut off a tuft of mane from the Kirin.

The Creature bowed once m ore, and in a flash of light, it was gone. Back to its owner.

Haruto was both scared and awed by it, and he nearly smothered Shinji and Kazuki when all of them met at the hut where Haruto and the others waited.

"That was awesome!" Haruto cried, jumping up and down in place in front of the new Court Members. Shinji grinned, ruffling Haruto snow white hair.

"I know right? And you're gonna hunt one yourself one day. Speaking of the Hunt," Shinji turned to his father, eyes alight. "We should train Haruto-kun!"

Haruto's mind ground to a halt.

_Train?_

"Train?" He managed to squeak out, his knees threatening to give out under him. Suzume – sensing her son's distress – enveloped him in a warm hug, carding long finger through hair so much like her own. She smiled warmly at Haruto, who went red-faced at his mother's over-affectionate actions. Not that he really minded, it was just embarrassing to be seen in public.

"What bothers you?" She asked softly. Haruto frowned, gripping his haori's sleeves tight.

"I… Don't want to hurt anyone." He mumbled. Suzume raised an eyebrow at hi m, and he hurried to clarify himself, "I-I mean, if you train me with a sword, then I would know how to fight."

He looked down. "I don't want to fight and hurt anyone."

All of them were silent for a while, making Haruto nervous and wondering if he said anything wrong. The silence was broken by Arranz's wild laughter, and Haruto stared at his eldest cousin with wide eyes.

"Oh, Gelly's beard; you're so cute I want to pinch you!" He did just that, making Haruto scream at his other cousins to help him get away from the 'rabid chicken' – which in turn offended Arranz since he was an extremely vain raven – which then led to an all out war as soon as all of them got back to the Arianrhod summer house.

The adults watched them for a while, laughing lightly as the children ran from one side of the estate to another, even bringing some of Arranz's pets to add excitement to their goose chase/cops-and-robbers game. Haruto had a mighty time playing with everyone, and this made him momentarily forget his earlier troubles about learning the sword.

Suzume sighed, turning back to her brothers to sip at her tea. Shinzo fixed her a knowing look,

"You wish him to follow that path of Bushido." He stated. Suzume stilled for a moment, before closing her eyes and setting her teacup down.

"Yes, it's for his own good, and the good of everyone he'll hold dear. But unlike _that man_ we shall tell him everything. But not now. Not yet." She replied quietly, turning in time to see Haruto's gleeful face. Her heart clenched, and she lamented the horrors that were about to come for him. For her dear son.

"But he shall not be alone, Aneki-sama. The others would follow; and I'm assured that Haruto will succeed." Mekarasu interjected, sipping his own tea. Suzume nodded.

"I know, and even little Rikku would be there for him. I have faith in all of them. I have faith in _Harry_." She said, conviction in her voice. All of them were quiet, until Eion clapped his hands cheerfully, dispelling the gloomy air around them

"Now that's settled, I think I'll go contact Shouichi's cousin! And arrange for his future schooling, hm? He was and _still_ a wizard, despite his Tengu blood." He exclaimed, summoning a notepad and scribbling down on it furiously. Tsume laughed, throwing his head back.

"Oh geez, Koujirou's too excited!" He laughed. Koujirou raised an elegant eyebrow at the laughing Tengu,

"There shall be never wrong in preparing in advance." Eion paused, before continuing. "Maybe he might even find more allies that way."

Everyone looked at him, as if he just said something brilliant. Which it actually was. Eion gave the Tengu a bewildered look.

"What?"

"We should enroll him _there!_" Hane exclaimed, shaking his twin almost too violently. Tsume slapped his hands, away hissing like an angry bird. Suzume ignored her younger brothers' squabble.

"_If_ Haruto would agree. It is good to be prepared, but what use would it be if Haruto won't agree?" Eion nodded slowly.

"Point proven… So when will you tell him?" Suzume looked back at Haruto – who was helped up to sit on a young Nudu by his cousins – and sighed.

"Probably soon. And we all know little Rikku's words are truer than most would think." All of them nodded, turning back to watch their children – the next generation – enjoy their time.

xXxXxXxXx

"I spy…" Arranz's eyes scanned the area around them, as he and his cousins along with the other children toured the edge of the Inner Gate. "Nightingale!"

The others immediately looked for the bird, and Haruto saw it first, high up in the tree directly to Arranz's right. He cheered to himself for getting it right, and pride knowing that he was the one the one most of the 'I spy' games. Yuuto came close, but Haruto managed to stay ahead of the pack.

"Ugh, I'm tired. Can we go rest somewhere, Ranz?" Shouichi groaned, turning to the younger silver head for the last part.

Arranz nodded, motioning for them to follow, as he started walking. The path was hard, but the ones with Tengu blood seem to have ease, even Haruto – who was currently enjoying hopping from on rock to another.

"Ne, Arranz." He called out, getting the attention of his cousin. "Do you think Suzume want me to train?"

Everyone paused at that, turning to look at Haruto. The youngest Tengu shifted in nervousness, and Arranz sighed, walking over to him with his Nudu – named Helwyr – at his heels. He knelt before Haruto, putting a hand on the younger boy's shoulder.

"Maybe, maybe not. But you shouldn't be scared, you know?" Haruto gave him a confused look, and Arranz continued. "We don't learn to fight to hurt anyone. We fight to protect."

That sounded a little better to Haruto, so he nodded at Arranz to continue. The Arianrhod stood up, resuming his walk to wherever they were headed.

"First rule of Bushido; we do not turn our sword to our brothers." Haruto upped his pace to follow them, now that the path had started to even out a little bit.

"Second rule of Bushido; we fight to protect." It was Shinji that spoke this time, voice just as solemn as his half-brother's. The trees around them were now sakura trees, but they lacked the beautiful pink blossom seeing that it was nearing the end of autumn, and the beginning of winter.

"Third rule of Bushido; we do not live in the same heaven with those who did us evil, and we shall only pray when we ask Izanami and Izanagi to forgive us for sending them to Yomi."

"Fourth and final rule of Bushido; we do not harm the innocent, but pass judgment to evil in the name of our Lord." It was Yuuto this time. The three who spoke turned to Haruto, and the young Tengu was mesmerized by the rather ceremonious way they explained to him this 'Bushido'.

'Maybe it won't be so bad after all… And I can protect Suzume and the others…' He thought.

Arranz spread his arms wide, gesturing around them. Haruto just realized they were standing near the edge of a cliff, and there was a vast expanse of trees below them. Haruto almost screamed in fright, but he steadied himself, trusting his family to keep him safe.

"We fight to protect our family, our homes… I may be called a Dark wizard in the eyes of the humans, and be called evil due to my affinity, but even so…" He looked directly into Haruto's eyes, silver meeting black. "I'll protect everyone I love, using everything in my power. Even my Dark magic."

"Same here. We lost and earned so much…" Shinji trailed off for a moment, eyes going out of focus as he looked over the cliff. Then he laughed; a sad mournful sound. "The friends and family we lost; they're the reason we fight."

"Yeah, we learn to fight – and when it comes to it, we _kill_ – but it's never done out of personal reason. It is always to protect something." Arranz smiled at him, a mix of sadness and pride.

All of them remained silent, just listening to the wind blowing across the cliff top. It was peaceful, but his cousins' words made Haruto wondered how long it would last.

'Then… If they're fighting… I should fight with them.' Haruto nodded, strengthening his resolve as he moved to stand beside his cousins. They must seem to understand what Haruto was thinking, since they smiled at him then turned back to the cliff.

Arranz was the first to howl – almost like a wolf – making his voice echo and spread. The others followed, laughing and bantering between themselves as they shouted and howled. Haruto didn't understand it, but he howled anyways, and he felt good.

Standing with his family and having fun with them. It was insanely good. And he wouldn't lose them, he won't lose anyone. Not while he was there.

He howled once more.

—X—

Ofukuro – archaic way of saying 'Mother'. I could use 'Hahaue', or 'okaa-sama', but it just didn't have the… traditional characteristic of 'ofukuro'.

Daikami-no-Yama & Ichiareta – two made up places in my head. 'Daikami-no-Yama' means 'Great God's Mountain' and 'Ichiareta' means 'First Island'. Not really creative but it works.

Kari-no-Kami – this guy is the 'Hunting God'. And he does not exist in Japanese myths.

Kirin – These guys do exist in Japanese myths, but I kind of made my own version of it. Looks and skill-wise.

Treants – hmm… Remember those guys in LoTR? Yeah, I kind of imagined them as summons.

Gelly – virtual cookies to those who could guess who this bad boy is. :D

Izanami and Izanagi – The 'Mother' and 'Father' of the Japanese gods in the myths. Izanami is the female, Izanagi is the male.

Yomi – the Japanese Underworld.

—X—

**Wow, this is a miracle. A quick update haha!**

**And next chapter, a guy that **_**shouldn't**_** be here would make an appearance! He'll take the role of Shouichi's cousin (mentioned earlier with no name) and I don't know if you'll expect him or not.**

**Whatever.**

**Okay, and in the topic of **_**this character**_**, please help me choose a first name for him! Here are my choices:**

**Touya**

**Reiji**

**Menma**

**Sora**

**Yeaaaaaaaaaah… You could also suggest male Japanese names. **

**See you next chapter!**

**Stand and BOW!**

**-nekoma**


	5. Chapter 5

**Review responses:**

**HinaUchi – Reiji huh? I like that name too :D**

**DZ2-san – Nah, Sora ain't cliché for me. It think it's a pretty cool name! And I'm not too concerned about the amount of reviews (*thumbs up*) Thank you for the reviews!**

—X—

"Haruto, what if I told you should take sword lessons with your cousins?" Haruto looked up from his food – Beef teriyaki with miso soup and a tuna maki as side dish, served with cool pumpkin juice for him – and directly into Suzume's eyes, who had set down her chopsticks and placed her hands on the low dining table to hide the slight shaking in her hands.

Haruto blinked once at her words, before shrugging. "Okay."

What.

Suzume was _very_ surprised. She wasn't expecting things to be _that_ easy. She almost thought the Haruto would throw a tantrum – and they don't want that, knowing how _powerful_ the kid could be.

"You're fine with it?"

"Yeah, Arranz and the others already explained a bit of Bushido to me, and how they work even though they're wizards at the same time. It got a lot of responsibilities, but I'm good with it." Haruto replied easily, poking at the slices of beef in his bowl.

Suzume blinked several times, still a little disbelieving, bit managed to recover. She smiled at her son, who returned the gesture warmly. "Well, then. I believe it will do you good to have a private tutor; while you still young and too early to be enrolled in a Bushido School." She declared with an enthusiastic clap, the finished food disappearing as soon as they finished eating.

Haruto nodded his agreement, "So, when should I start? Or do I have to do some stuff before you call my tutor?" Suzume paused, tilting her head to the side.

"I… Could have Koujirou contact Shouichi's cousin as soon as possible, and negotiate with him to teach you. He's a very busy young man, you see, but he's a very good teacher." She smiled widely, beckoning for Haruto follow her as she got up from the table and moved to the sliding door. Haruto opened it for her, and Suzume lovingly threaded her hands through his hair. Haruto resisted the urge to purr like a cat.

He is a bloody bird, dammit.

"He's one of the best students of Tenshin Shouden Katori Shintou-Ryuu, an ancient school of Bushido." Suzume began, leading Haruto to the now familiar pebble path of the mountain shrine. "The second prodigy of that school after Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune, a famous Samurai Sorcerer back in the Sengoku Era, or in English; the Warring States Era."

Haruto nodded to show he understands, and he smiled sheepishly at Suzume light jab at his understanding of Japanese. Knowledge of the language also came with his blood-adoption, and he was eternally thankful for it.

"What's his name then?"

Suzume winked playfully, bringing a finger to her red lips, "**Secret~!**"

Haruto pouted, not liking being kept in the dark. But he could wait. He was good at waiting.

"But if it's any consolation; you'll be starting Tenshin Shouden once you reach ten years of age, and you will graduate once you reach eighteen." Suzume informed him, walking him over to the shrine gates. "You're still young; it will give you a lot of time to prepare."

Haruto bounced on the balls of his feet, suddenly excited at the prospect. "What do we do in Tenshin?"

Suzume pursed her lips for a moment, thinking. "If I remember; your sensei would teach how to use weapons, the Art of Warfare, reconnaissance, and he would give special missions as periodic examination every two months." She paused. "Then there are two special examinations by the end of the first semester and last semester that will decide if you are eligible for a rank advancement."

Haruto blinked. "Wow, that's a lot."

His mother nodded. "Yes, but it's only the basics that I know. I really don't know the full details; and Arranz and Yuuto are the only ones who enrolled there. The only Samurai Sorcerers of their generation."

Haruto frowned, "Aren't they attending Durmstrang? I thought they can't graduate until they're eighteen?"

Suzume smiled. "Perceptive boy." She praised warmly, kissing the top of Haruto's head and making the boy turn red. "Yes; but the school offers a special course for those who wish to pursue the wizard side of them, along with their warrior side. The Headmaster could allow a child to attend a wizarding school _and_ their school at the same time, with a device called Time-Turner. It's better that you don't go looking for them from September to June, so you wouldn't risk seeing them."

"Why not?

"Time is a dangerous thing, love." She answered with a patient smile. Haruto nodded, not quite understanding it but opting to just talk about it some other time. Suzume continued to talk.

"And while in the topic of wizards; I think it would do you good to have Koujirou as your tutor in magic, while also working with Shouichi's cousin. Even though I blood-adopted you, you still have your real parents' blood coursing through you. Blood-adoption can never fully remove the original blood, after all."

"So… I'm a Potter and a Suzume at the same time?"

"Essentially, yes. Which reminds me," Suzume clapped her hands together lightly, looking down at Haruto. "You should visit your bank account back in England."

Haruto blinked. "Why?"

Suzume tapped a red lip, "I say we have you emancipated, you'll have more freedom that way. And also earn your rights in the English Ministry. You have rights here in Japan the moment you became my son; and that would be a huge advantage for you." She paused, walking quietly besides Haruto as they left the outer most gate of the shrine. "Maybe you'll even find things that would be of use to you."

She took a handful of Floo powder, turning to the nearby magical fire place beside the gate. She stepped through, and called out 'Arianrhod Summer house; Shi wa kowaku nai!' and disappearing in a flash of bright green flames. Haruto followed, clearly saying the words to avoid… _mishaps _– like that one time Haruto ended up in Magical Akita-ku instead of Magical Kyoto-ku, and the Arianrhod brothers were _thisclose_ in activating the Dullahans.

Just to look for him.

When the swirl of colors and green flames stopped, Haruto found himself crouched in the fireplace, a bit of soot dirtying his hands. He sighed, at least he didn't ended up falling all over himself and ended up having soot and dust _all over_ him. That was even more troublesome.

He stood up and dusted himself, looking around. The summer house was quiet, which was strange at this time of the day.

"Ofukuro?"

"I'm here, Haruto." The young Tengu followed his mother's voice, which took him to what he guessed was the East balcony, judging from the view of the river in the distance. She was sitting with Eion, sipping green tea, and the oldest Arianrhod motioned for Haruto to join them.

"So, you were saying about going to England?" Haruto looked to Suzume, who smiled at him.

"If Haruto would accept, that is." Obviously she was waiting for his response. Haruto nodded slowly, whispering a 'thanks' to Eion who poured him his favorite juice.

"Well, if Ofukuro wants me emancipated…" He frowned. "What's 'emancipated', anyway?"

Eion chuckled. "Emancipated means 'liberated'. You become an adult in the eyes of the Wizarding society. But since you're still 8 and a half years old –" Haruto pouted at this. "- You'll be in need of a Magical Guardian. Ah, this business is tricky; so I'd prefer it if I go along with you."

Haruto nodded. He had never been to Magical England – any parts of it – so he was both curious and apprehensive about it. Remembering those… _Muggles_ had left a scar in him, and he expected it will still remain there for a long while.

He had excused himself to walk around the summer house for a while, while Suzume and Eion discussed things that threatened to _bore_ Haruto out of his mind. He headed to the stables, where Arranz showed him where he keeps some of the regular and magical horses he owned. Haruto walked over to the stable at the very end, where he knew Mitsuhashi the Abraxan foal was being kept.

The Abraxan was the friendliest to Haruto, and the young Tengu had taken an immediate liking to it.

"Hey girl." The foal whinnied, bumping her wet nose against Haruto's outstretched palm. He smiled, picking up some small carrots in the pile he found nearby, feeding it carefully to the Abraxan, who seemed pleased with the food.

Haruto busied himself with checking on the other horses, giving them food and whatnot. It was natural for Tengu to become drawn towards animals – magical or not – due to their affinity with them. Tengu's develops an ability called Beast Tongue, a skill that allows them to speak with beasts. Haruto can't speak it at the moment – though he can understand it – but Arranz and Shinji and Yuuto reassured him it was normal.

Haruto couldn't wait to learn it, since it fascinated him so much. He would often saw Shinji and Yuuto talking with some of the creatures wandering the summer house, but none of them were as devoted and involved as Arranz. Suzume had said that there were times when a Tengu's Beast Tongue was even more developed, which they had called Beast Calling.

It allows Arranz to form contracts with magical Creatures, and regular animals obey him. It was similar to Shuu's Demon Calling. Though they obviously work with different entities.

A quiet, melodious hum of music reached Haruto's sensitive ears, and his head snapped up. The song was unfamiliar, it wasn't the haunting and frantic songs Arranz plays, or the calming and quiet the von Krauss sisters play. It wasn't familiar.

And so it shouldn't be there.

He followed the sound, slipping a hand into the sleeve of his yukata and tracing the kanji of kunai on his skin. Sure enough, a _real_ kunai dropped into his waiting hand, where he held it slightly behind himself as he walked towards the sound.

It took him to the nearby woods, one he didn't enter with the others before. This immediately sent his danger sense in high alert, making his knuckles go white at how tight he was gripping the weapon in his hand. The sound was getting louder and louder bit by bit, so he reckoned he was getting close. The source of the song took him to a small lake, with crystal clear waters.

The sunlight that came from the break in the foliage shone down on the clearing and the lake, making that particular area brighter than the surroundings. Even Haruto had to squint at the sudden brightness that irritated his hyper-sensitive eyes.

But what made him freeze and his blood go cold was the person – no, _thing_ – perched on the rock jutting out of the water, smack middle of the lake. Haruto felt his knees shake in fear as he realized what it was he was facing. He only heard them from stories from the others, and from what he heard no one had seen one of this creature. And they were sure they wouldn't want to see one ever. Not even Yuuto or Arranz, their strongest.

They call the creature 'Osore-wananaki' and like what its name means, it was horrifying.

It had the shape of a shapely woman, but the grotesque, ashen gray and warped skin was absolutely sickening. Her forearms split into three appendages that resembled the legs of a spiders, gleaming black and looking like beetle shell. Frayed ropes made up her hair, and her lips were sewn shut, her face gaunt and almost fleshless. The sockets where her eyes should be were empty, dripping with what looked like ink.

Haruto wanted to scream; but he was horrified when he couldn't move _at all_. Not even his eyes moved, he couldn't have his throat work up a scream, alert Eion or Suzume, _alert anyone_. He couldn't do anything.

The creature moved, a rasping sounding coming from its throat in a horrifying parody of a laugh. It began to move towards the frozen boy, taking its sweet time to play with its prey.

Haruto was internally panicking, screaming at his body to _move_.

He did, and he screamed at the top of his lungs. "OFUKURO, TASUKE TE!"

The Orose-wananaki shrieked in rage, disbelieving that its prey somehow managed to break free of the terror. It lunged at Haruto, limbs outstretched and ready to tear him apart. The stitched mouth opened, revealing a tunnel filled with spikes lining the insides and tentacle-like things moving inside.

Haruto brought up his kunai in a desperate attempt to defend himself, and he closed his eyes, tears threatening to leak at the corner.

The hit never came, and when Haruto looked up, he gave a gasp of shock.

Someone had defended him from the Osore-wananaki.

The man – if the broadness of the shoulders and the lack of chest at the front where anything to go by – made to attack the Osore once more, the creature jumping back and shrieking at the new comer. The man flicked away the disgusting black slime from his katana, a magnificent black blade that seem to absorb the very light around it.

"Disgusting filth." Was all he said, before re-sheathing his sword and pulling the scabbard off his back, and then holding it at waist level. He crouched low, feet moving apart as he curled into himself, one hand on the scabbard and the other resting lightly against the hilt of the sword.

Haruto recognized the form, seeing Shouichi use it so many times before – every time he and one of the other would duel with physical weapons instead of their magical. He remembered what Shouichi called the form;

Iaijutsu. Or the art of drawing the sword. And he uses the iai-goshi posture, the more advanced posture of iaijutsu.

It doesn't sound too intimidating, but when Shouichi used it, he made it seem like the art was used for killing. And solely for killing only.

The quick, precise and fatal swords strikes were the trade mark of the form, unlike Mizu's kenjutsu which relies on direct fighting and drawn-out sword fights.

Iaijutsu was probably the deadliest sword form.

The man before Haruto took a deep, quiet breath, perfectly still even as the Osore moved once more, but this time towards the bigger threat; the man.

"_Iai, Dai Ichi no Kata; Hanabira no Odoraseru._" He uttered quietly.

Haruto heard a _shink_ sound, and when he watched the man's hands; the man was sheathing his sword. Haruto's brows creased in confusion. He hadn't seen the man even _draw_ his sword yet!

The Osore suddenly froze, the wailing coming to a stop as it suddenly stopped moving. It stared blankly at both men, not a noise or movement coming from her. Haruto was beyond confused now.

At that moment, Suzume and Eion finally arrive, panic and rage clearly on their faces as their eyes landed on the Osore-wananaki, which still remained unmoving. Suzume immediately rushed over to Haruto, pulling her wings back since there was no danger.

Haruto let himself be swept into his mother's arms, letting the tears finally fall as relief and happiness filled him. Relief that Suzume was finally there, and happiness in knowing that Suzume feared for him. _Cared _for him.

The Osore suddenly started leaking in various places, black ink seeping out of the wounds and staining the waters where it stood. It flopped into the water, making a hug splashing sound as it fell into it gracelessly. Haruto's eyes bugged when the creature died _just like that._

The man turned to them, giving Eion and Suzume a bow at the waist. He gave Haruto a wry smile. "It is an honor to meet once again; Suzumetsuru-dono." He nodded at Suzume, who still clung to Haruto like a lifeline. Then he turned to Eion, "Arianrhod-dono."

The oldest Arianrhod grimaced. "Stop with the 'dono' you gwirioni." He muttered, as he scanned the surrounding area with various detection spells with his wand. He sighed in relief when he confirmed that nothing was there except for them.

The man shrugged, returning his scabbard to his back. "Is it wrong for me to address my Lords the proper way? It is only respect-"

"Yes, yes, yes. Now quit blabbing and tell us how did you find Haruto?" Eion quickly cut in, still agitated. The man only smiled, before kneeling in front of Haruto, dark eyes scanning the young boy's face. Haruto couldn't help but shift in unease.

"So you are the Young Master Haruto?" He placed a fist on the ground, bowing his head. "I am honored to be able to defend Suzumetsuru-dono's own son; and the master of my cousin."

Haruto was very confused with the last part. "Who are you talking about? I'm not the master of anyone!"

Suzume placed a hand on Haruto's head, making the boy look up at her. "Haruto… The children kind of, swore loyalty to you… They told us not to tell you for now." She smiled apologetically, shyly, that Haruto couldn't bring himself to be angry.

Eion tutted and pointed at the man still kneeling, who looked surprised now. "You and your mouth, _Arashikage_."

The man – Arashikage, Haruto reminded himself – looked up, blinking. "Oh? Shouichi hadn't told me it was a secret."

Haruto's jaw dropped. 'So that's why their sword form is similar! Wait, _he _will be training _me?!_' Haruto though, panic flooding his system. He gulped and turned to the man, who had finally stood up and was bickering with Eion.

"Wha…. What's your name?" He asked in his most commanding voice, imitating how Suzume and Eion does it. The man immediately fell to his knees, and Suzume and Eion wore very surprised expressions on their faces.

"I am Reiji Arashikage, Haruto Suzume-dono." The man seemed to smile. "I am also known by the name Storm Shadow, he who strikes in the midst of the chaos."

Eion leaned to whisper in Suzume's ear. "I believe he just used Tennou no Kotoba."

Suzume swallowed, nodded a little. "Haruto isn't who he seems, after all. Rikku won her dango, then."

—X—

Tenshin Katori Shintou-Ryuu – it's a real bushido school, back in the 13th century, I think. The first head master is Iizasa Chouisai Ienao. Hah, I had fun doing this bit of research :D

Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune – He's a real person, and if I remember right he _did school_ in Tenshin Katori. Eh.

'Shi wa kowaku nai' phrase – Remember Gellert's line in the first Deathly Hallow movie? The 'I don't fear death' scene? Yeah, I translated it to Japanese. Arranz and Eion know of this particular phrase because they have met Gelly in a dream, their only way of communicating with their dearest great-great-granduncle. Though you ought to know. (And yes, I just quoted Quirrel there.)

Dullahans – Irish Unseelie Fae. Let's just say Eion had a previous occupation of being a… (*clears throat*) _Headhunter_. And Dullahans are headless knights that rides headless horses (but in this fic, the horses have heads, cause it would just be plain weird.) and carrying their heads in their arms. Dullahans might make an appearance soon, and with a better description.

Osore-wananaki – Inspired by the monster in the feature short story I wrote back in fifth grade. So this mean it isn't in Japanese myth. Also means 'horror' in English.

Iaijutsu – means 'art of drawing the sword', as stated above. Any knows Vergil from the Devil May Cry series? Yeah, something like that. He uses iai.

The honorific '-dono' – It means Lord, and is higher than '-sama'.

Arashikage – You all know who Arashikage is. I don't think we ever knew of his first name D: So I'm leaving it _literally_ blank for now. And did you know that when you translate 'Storm Shadow' word for word, you get 'Arashi kage'? Woo, points for creativity from whoever wrote GI Joes. 'm still laughing.

Tennou no Kotoba – 'Emperor's Words'. A rare type of word-magic that compels people to obey you. I think I got the idea from an anime I've watched.

***~ Original Spell~***

_Iai, Dai Ichi no Kata; Hanabira no Odoraseru – _'Iai, First Form; Dance of Petals'; Summons several invisible blades of pure magic, cutting up the target inside and out. Drawbacks are the ridiculous amount of magical focus and energy required, and absolute precision of attack.

—X—

**A rather short one, because Writer's block is beginning to set in. Oh noes…..!**

**Welp, did anyone of you thought of Stormy being Shouichi's cousin? I certainly didn't, it kinda just came to me last night (it's already morning here in the Phils.) so…**

**Yeah. I think that's all for now.**

**Stand and BOW!**

**-nekoma**


	6. Chapter 6

"**Another language.**"

"Normal."

"_Emphasis/Beast Tongue/Spells_"

'Thoughts'

§_Parseltongue_§

/_Fawkes' speech/_

**P.S: Uhh… Correction on the last chapter: Haruto is NINE y.o. not 8 ½ . (*slaps face*)**

—X—

"So, what brings you here?" Eion asked as he peered over his teacup at Reiji, who just sat across the table from him. Reiji's lips pulled up at one corner.

"Is it wrong to see my Lord?" Eion rolled his eyes, already used to the Arashikage's flattery. He might've blushed like a school girl back in their teen years (Not that Eion _liked_ the guy that way, but being called 'Lord' was…) but they were adults now, and Eion was now slightly immune to the white assassin.

"Cut the bull. Suzume-sama and I were talking about contacting you for a special request; and you _conveniently_ arrive not an hour later at our doorstep." He leveled Arashikage with a hard look. "Talk."

The man fully smiled now, though there was a slyness to it, causing the Arianrhod Lord to narrow his eyes. "Is it truly not in my right to see you, Moralltach? Even as your former-"

Eion immediately drew his wand, jabbing it to Reiji's neck at the same time the other drew his sword and pressing the sharpened edge to Eion's throat. Both men stared off for a full minute, neither one moving their eyes away from the other or relaxing.

Eion broke first, though. "Come on, cut the crap, would you?"

The Arashikage smirked in amusement, "You were acting like a _prim and proper _Lord. I just had to tease you for it." He snickered, sitting back down and pouring Eion another warm cup of tea, the silver haired man absently scratching his neck where the blade was pressed.

"Yeah, yeah. I look stupid. But seriously," He turned to look at Reiji in the eye. "Why are you here, old friend?"

Reiji's face hardened a bit. "The Hard Master has summoned me; telling me to make haste to the home of the Ones-Who-Bear-the-Silver-Wheel, and I immediately understood I had to look for you." He paused, turning his head to the right to watch the leaves fall as a strong breeze blew past. "If first went to your home back in Wales, but it was empty except for the House Elves and the Sphinxes your little brother employed. So I went to your second favourite home; the Arianrhod summer house."

Eion frowned. "Did the Hard Master tell you why you should go here?"

"No. But seeing as you and Suzumetsuru-dono wanted my blade and my skills, I supposed I'll be finding out soon enough."

Eion nodded, getting up and gesturing for the other to follow him. They walked down the corridors silently, socked feet masking the sounds of their feet hitting the wooden floor. Eion stopped on a particular door, sliding it open by a bit and stepping aside. Reiji raised an eyebrow at him, and Eion only gestured for him to take a peek. Reiji did, and saw the Tengu Empress asleep with her son in her embrace, her glorious wings enfolding them in warmth and protection.

"Haruto always falls asleep like this; curled around Her Majesty. Suzume doesn't mind, but she also knows that this is a byproduct of his times with his abusive 'relatives'." Reiji seethed at the words, disbelieving. "Haruto is still scared, deep down"

He may be a heartless assassin, able to kill anyone without a thought; but he would never, _never_ hurt a child or a woman. He swore it on his sword and his honor as an Arashikage.

But it also warmed is heart to see the obviously broken child content and under the care as someone as Suzume. Two broken people finding familial love and comfort in each other.

"And with that said…" Eion looked at Reiji, "We would like you to be his teacher, a temporary one, before he enters Tenshin Shouden. He shouldn't be a cowering fearful peasant."

Silver eyes moved to the two figures asleep inside the room, the colors seeming to brighten for a moment before talking again. "Because I see an Emperor in him."

Reiji placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, Arianrhod's own hand coming up to clasp down on it. "Then I shall help pave the way for our future Lord." Arashikage swore, making the magic of the Bond as Blade Brothers stir. Eion smiled at him gratefully.

"Thank you, my friend."

xXxXxXx

Haruto blearily blinked his eyes open, jaw opening wide to accommodate the rather large yawn he gave. He looked up when someone chuckled, and he smiled sleepily when he saw Suzume looking down at him fondly.

"Ohayo…." He sighed, snuggling closer to Suzume's arms, the warmth lulling him back to sleep. The Tengu Empress carded her long fingers through Haruto's lengthening hair, humming deep in her throat. The earlier events had tired her son, so she could let Haruto's lethargy slide for now. He deserved it.

"I thought Reiji-san would be older." Suzume blinked down at Haruto's mumbling, and was mildly surprised to see his eyes wide open. She kissed the top of his head.

"Then, you are proven wrong." Suzume teased, earning a sleepy laugh from Haruto. He yawned again, before drawing back to sit up and rub the sleep from his eyes.

"What time is it…?"

"Nearly evening, love." Dark eyes snapped open.

"What?" He squeaked, scrambling to get up and out of the door. Suzume chuckled, getting up and following at a more sedate pace after the young Tengu. She found Haruto in the meeting room, looking around with a confuse expression on his face.

"Where's everybody?" Suzume blinked, laughing.

"You forgot they went to school just about last week, Haruto." Haruto's lips formed a small 'o', his eyes dropping dejectedly at the ground. Suzume chuckled, walking forward and wrapped her arms around his small shoulders, swaying both of them to a song in her mind.

"But if it's any comfort; Arranz and Yuuto will be here Friday night." She said, eyes sliding close. "I don't know if they can also sneak out the others, but I know they'll try."

Almost subconsciously, Haruto moved away from Suzume, taking up the male's dancing stance. Suzume looked mildly surprised at that, when she had never taught him the Dance of the Winter Crane. But she decided just to let it go, and dance with her son.

This was how the other two men in the compound found them later, Suzume laughing lightly at her son who had finally noticed he was moving in an unfamiliar dance and forgot the following step, so Suzume began to teach him, jumping on the chance.

The Tengu Empress just smiled at her warriors who gave her a raised eyebrow, turning her attention to Haruto.

"Only the balls of your feet don't leave the floor, Haruto." She murmured, moving her kimono skirt to let Haruto see her legs from the calf down, showing him how the motions were done. Haruto frowned, copying the motions but managed to trip himself a little. He huffed, got back to his feet, and did it again.

He managed it.

"Good, now here…"

Eion and Reiji excused themselves quietly, moving to the courtyard, the area bathed by the full moon above. They were silent, standing beside the other as they climbed the Gates' roof, chuckling at each other for reliving one of their habits back when they were teenagers.

"Satsuki-san and Haikou-san should be changing now, yes?"

Eion hummed in agreement, dropping to sit down on the tiled roof and even lying down, arms pillowing the back of his head. Reiji gave him an amused look, but kept silent.

"I saw what you mean, by the way." Reiji casually informed the man lying on the ground, who looked up at him. "When you told me you saw an Emperor in the Young Master."

"Ah."

"He's undeniably strong, that's for sure." Reiji turned his head to look down directly at Eion, who leaned up on his elbows. "And I'm certain I felt something else, but I couldn't quite put a finger on it… Yet."

"He used the Tennou-"

"I know he used it, but it was subconsciously done." Reiji cut in smoothly, smirking down at the pouting Lord. "I believe there is something else."

Eion let out a huge sigh, dropping back to lie on the roof. "Ah, I trust your instincts."

Reiji smiled. "Of course you do."

xXxXxXx

A young 10 year old Rikku sat in front of the low tea table set before her, pouring tea into her guests' cups, before pouring her own.

Seated at the other three sides of the table was a pure white fox, a deep red crow and a blue Adder, all of them unmoving as the young Shrine Seer poured them their drinks. Rikku smiled at them, a hand reaching up to moved her hair behind the lotus brooch pinned above either ear.

"Shall we start?"

The animals nodded in agreement, the gesture too humane in the eyes of those who do not believe.

"_Yes, let us." _They intoned at the same time, all the candles in the altar room extinguishing and plunging everything to darkness.

—X—

Dance of the Winter Crane – I don't even know what this is. Maybe just fancy dancing...?

—X—

**Short filler chapter is short. Flamey-o.**

**The block finally settled in, so I'm taking a few days off… Maybe, I'll still try to write though! No worries with that. :D**

**Oh yeah, review response:**

**DZ2-san – Eh, who knows? I might throw in Snake in here sometime. It just the matter of 'when'. Thank you for the review!**

**By the way, I have a poll in my profile that could really, **_**really **_**help me with naming Storm Shadow. We'll worry about Snake later.**

**And I can't resist the bromance there. I am totally unapologetic.**

**That's all so: **

**Stand and BOW!**

**-nekoma**

**P.S: Edited this and the last chapter, if you hadn't noticed. I'll update tomorrow, no worries.**

**And Storm Shadow's first name is now: 'Reiji'. Because I have been subconsciously calling him that for a while now. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Ugh, sickness plus writer's block? The horror!**

**Review Response:**

**DZ2-san – I have to admit that wasn't my best time in writing but…**

-X-

Suzume was amused and concerned for her son as he kept fidgeting in his royal garbs, adjusting the bright red obi wrapped around his waist to secure his clothes. The way he kept shifting from one foot to another.

Suzume herself was already dressed in her Empress attire, long hair done up and adorned with accessories made of pure gold and her royal kimono made of the finest silks and cloths in all of Japan.

The reason for their attire was to make an impression in the British branch of Gringotts. Mekarasu had informed them that the goblin brethren would be happy to help the Empress of the Tengu, but it was still required to make a personal appearance in the branch you wished to access. It was for formality, and the Tengu twins thought that the goblins back in the England merely wanted to meet the Empress and her son.

"Ofukuro, do I really have to wear this?" Haruto whined miserably, fiddling with the lock of hair framing his face. Suzume laughed.

"Yes, you'll are my little Ou-sama. My little King." She cupped Haruto's face between her hands lovingly. "And you deserve only the finest."

Haruto pouted. "But that doesn't mean I should wear this… _This thing!_ What is this even?" Suzume chuckled to herself as Haruto kept grumbling to himself. She turned as Eion poked his head into the room, smiling at them.

"The international Portkey to London, England is finalized and procured, your Highness." He said in a teasing professional voice. Suzume gave him a small upward twitch of her lips, and nodded.

"Then, let us depart. Haruto?"

"_Ugh_, let's get this over with." He grumbled, grabbing his hakama and pulling it up so he could move his feet without restriction. This was a different kind of hakama – how was lost on Haruto – from the one that he was used to, where the ends were tied to his ankles. The one he was wearing at the moment was past his feet.

And it was _annoying_.

The Tsuru-Tengu royalties and Eion made their out the Shrine, towards the courtyard where the ones who will be accompanying the two Tengu waited.

Haruto noticed two things; one was that Reiji was there – in his usual white garb, and two was another man who wore all black. The lower half of his face was covered by a black piece of metal, undoubtedly enchanted to keep it in place once attached.

The man's light blue eyes met Haruto's, and the man bowed at the waist in reverence.

"He's is named Kei Arashikage; Reiji's adoptive brother." Haruto bowed to the man as Suzume introduced Kei, exclaiming an enthusiastic 'nice to meet you' in the man's way.

Haruto wasn't sure, but he was willing to bet the guy was grinning at him. Kai didn't speak at all, though. Haruto wondered why. But before he got the chance to ask, Eion instructed them to place their hands on the Portkey – Haruto now knew it was a transportation device – which was a simple crane origami.

After the disorienting – and downright horrible – feeling of using the Portkey, Haruto found himself inside a very, very nice-looking place. There were a handful of people – all of them staring at the Tengu and their escorts – and a few little creatures shorter than Haruto were walking around.

Haruto corrected himself, they were _goblins_. It was just the change of attire that momentarily threw him off. But the features were unmistakable, upon closer inspection.

Haruto tried not to cower into his mother's side as Haruto finally noticed the people staring at them, a few looking on in awe and some in confusion. He kept his head held high, hands folded carefully in the sleeves of his elegant haori.

Suzume was doing loads better; her poised relaxed but at the same time demanded respect and adoration. Her wings were out in full display, the pure white appendages only adding to her regality and beauty. Haruto wished he could someday be like Suzume. Proud, and commanding, but at the same time gentle and kind. A perfect Empress.

Suzume led the way, heading to the end of the hall where a raised desk – higher than the others – was located. Some people bowed and nodded to her in acknowledgement, which the Tengu Empress returned with a warm smile. The others just stared unabashedly, and Haruto found that irritating.

The two escorts were faithfully on their sides, postures relaxed but alert. Haruto felt better knowing that they could protect them.

Suzume stood before the goblin, who had stood at attention and bowed at the waist, the customary Japanese greetings.

"Hail, Empress of the Crane Tengu. May your spear impale your foes and your wings hold you aloft." The goblin said in a guttural voice. His beady black eyes flickered to Haruto for a moment, but he focused back on the Empress.

Haruto found the greeting a little weird, if not scary, but he decided it could have been worse. The goblins were a scary lot.

"And may your treasures overflow and your swords stay sharp. I am delighted to meet you, Head Goblin Ragnok." Suzume replied easily, a smile on her red lips. The goblin return it – though it kind of scared Haruto – as if they were old friends, and he motioned for the other goblin standing by his side. They spoke in low guttural growls and snarls, and Haruto strained to hear.

He recognized it as goblin-tongue, Gobblede-something he forgot. He still couldn't get the hang of magical spoken language, like Mermish or Sphinxian and the goblin-tongue.

The goblin, Ragnok turned back to Suzume. "Your Excellency, may I have the honour to guide you and your son and entourage to the Goblin Council's own chambers?" He asked, his voice though scary, was polite.

Suzume smiled pleasantly. "I would love to."

Ragnok left his seat, and came around the desk, nodding to them and head to the side where armoured goblins stood at the sides, face seeming to be in a scowl and axes as tall as them strapped to their backs. Ragnok approached the ornate iron doors calmly, hovering a hand over the strange marking on the middle. It opened with a loud groan, and swung open fully without anymore sounds and purely without anyone or anything pulling them open.

There was a stone staircase, spiraling up. Haruto gulped at the height, but Suzume chuckled at his reaction, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. They only took one step up the stairs when the world suddenly blurred around for the second time – though oddly without the nauseating feeling – and they found themselves in front of oak doors this time.

Haruto was confused and desperately wanted to ask about the stairs, but he clamped his lips and kept polite silence. He could wait.

Ragnok pulled the doors open, and they entered a large hall, much more spacious than the main hall in the bank down… wherever it was right now.

The hall was… _Shiny_. Like, how gems and gold and precious little trinkets shine? Like that. Well, it's probably because the most of the hall seemed to be made of gold.

A large chandelier – Haruto had a suspicion that the adorned it with almost _all _the known precious stones – was hanging over head, casting a warm glow over the hall, there were only five pedestals, five goblins working behind them silently.

One was slightly more elevated than the rest, and there was a grizzled, old and definitely scary goblin sat. The worn and barbaric looking armour adorning his stocky body making a huge impression on Haruto, who immediately decided to behave himself.

Suzume approached the scariest looking one, her wings shifting to spread themselves a little as she bowed at the waist. Haruto mimicked her actions immediately and he hid the grin as Suzume gave him a pleased smile.

They stood back up, and the old goblin nodded to them in acknowledgement.

"Greetings, your Highness." He intoned in a deep voice. Haruto expected an animal-like snarl. "I have received your letter from my brothers, and we would be honoured to help you and your son."

"Thank you, Chieftain Grimfang." Suzume replied easily. The goblin, Grimfang, nodded.

"Then let us adjourn to my private chamber for discussion." At this the air around them shifted, their surroundings seeming to melt like molten wax dripping, only to reveal a different room this time.

It was still as lavish as the hall they entered earlier, but there was just an ornate desk instead of the pedestals. The goblin sat behind the desk, clawed hand clasped in front of him. He waved them to sit down, and with a snap of his fingers, several documents flew to his outstretched hand from the massive row of shelves lining the wall behind him.

"So we are here to address Mr. Harold James Potter, now named Haruto Suzume-no-Kaze, financial, inheritance and emancipation requests, have I noted correctly, Your Highness?" Suzume nodded, and Grimfang picked up one of the yellowed rolls of parchment, holding it in one hand.

"Before I begin to speak, may the Potter-Suzume Heir wish to have the other beneficiaries present?" Haruto cocked his head to the side, looking to Suzume for assistance.

Suzume weighed her options for a moment, before speaking. "Do you wish to reveal yourself this early? You did disappear for awhile, you know." She smiled sheepishly when Haruto gave her a 'who's the reason' look, and she continued. "They're bound to ask question, you know."

Haruto thought about it, and then decided he would like the peace for a while longer. "No… If it's okay, can we just have, like, a second reading?" He asked tentatively.

Grimfang nodded. "Very well. You may read this silently; uttering a word written in the will shall activate the magic." He warned as he reached over the table to hand Haruto the parchment, the young Tengu gingerly unrolling it.

He moved a little closer to Suzume, so both of them could read. It was a little short, more like a letter than a last will and testament documentation.

_I, Lord James Charlus Potter, and I, Lady Lillinette Agatha Evans, are of sound mind and body hereby write this last will and testament for the benefit and safety of our one and only beloved son; Harold Kenneth Potter._

_First and foremost, we would like to apologize to you, love, for not being there to be with you as you grow up to be a fine young man. With certain circumstances, our chance of seeing you grow old is very low. Our absence will cause you pain and sadness, and with that, we are very, very sorry._

_But even so, know that we love you, with all our hearts. Mama and Dada loves you Harry. Please know that you are loved._

_Second, we strongly insist that Harold James Potter is to be taken care of the following people, whom we trust we our life and are capable of taking care of baby boy;_

_Sirius Orion Black – Padfoot, teach little Harry our Marauder ways,yeah? With Lily's mind, he'll be a pranking genius._

_Remus John Lupin – Moony, we know of your condition, but we trust you and Moony. You love your cub, our son Harry. That's good enough for us._

_Franklin and Alice Longbottom – As honorary brothers, we entrust to you guys Harry. He and Neville will be best of buds, we just know it._

_Severus Tobias Snape – Snive—ah, fine. Severus, at the same time we entrust Harry's safety to you, I, Lord James Charlus Potter also asks of your forgiveness. Lily loves you like a brother she never had, you had made her happy, and again, I'm truly sorry for being such a prat towards you._

_The people above will also get something from us, along with you Harry, in your Inheritance Will. Read that after this._

_And on the topic of Harry's guardians; he is __not_, _in any way or circumstance__, be sent to Lily's horrid horse of a sister and his whale of a husband. They are terrible people who hate magic—_

Harry never got to finish the letter as a violent burst of power shook the room. Haruto was nearly sent flying, and he thanked the gods that Reiji and Kei were nearby. Kei held him by the shoulders, turning them so that Haruto was behind Kei.

Reiji had his wakizashi out, carving protection runes in the air as the magic surge and spiraled wildly.

Haruto realized with a start that it was coming from Suzume herself, the always calm and gentle Suzume was enraged enough to let her carefully controlled magic let loose and show their true destructive nature.

'I never knew she was this strong…' He thought, bringing a hand up to shield his eyes. He saw her wings stretch and beat wildly, reflecting Suzume's emotion.

Grimfang only regarded the enraged Empress cooly.

"Your Grace, please regain your calm." He stated, not at all perturbed by the Tengu Empress' magic.

Suzume took a deep breath, the tattoos on her skin fading at the same time her magic began to recede. Her wings fluttered, before folding back down and securing themselves to her back. Suzume placed a hand over her face, before touching her forehead and then pressing a hand to her stomach. Her magic disappeared at that instant.

She turned her head and smiled at Haruto, who had moved away from Kei as soon as Suzume had calmed. "I'm sorry, love. Will you forgive an old lady's temper?" She asked as Haruto hugged her, burying his face into her obi.

He looked up and grinned at her, revealing canines that began to lengthen. "Yeah, no need to be angry, okay?"

Grimfang nodded in satisfaction, now that there would be no more sudden magical outbursts. He gestured for Haruto to continue.

-_and may even sort to abuse, knowing Vernon. Petunia may be Lily's sister, but that won't stop the woman from focusing her hate on Harry._

_If this request is broken, then we hereby emancipate Harold James Potter, and he is not with any of his legal we have chosen due to circumstances, then he may chose whomever he wishes to. We trust Harry, and whoever it may be will love Harry like their own son._

_All has been said, and with that, let this will be done._

_Lord James Charlus Potter_

_Husband to the most Beautiful Woman_

_Friend to the most Awesome Padfoot and Moony_

_Proud Father to my Prongslet_

_Lady Lillinette Agatha Potter nee Evans_

_Wife to an Amazing Man_

_Friend of dearest Padfoot and Moony_

_Friend to Cherished Severus_

_Mother to the Best Child_

Haruto was on the verge of tears, yet he held them back and steeled his resolve to honour them by living how they wanted him to be; a proud and noble wizard, unyielding to those who will oppose his views.

"Now," Suzume began, hands folded in her lap and her voice deceivingly calm. "Who is the fool who had desecrated the Will of the late Lord and Lady Potter?"

-X-

Ragnok – Okay, I may be stupid for asking this but WHO THE BLOODY HELL is this goblin? I swear I've read his name A HUNDRED TIMES from different fanfics. I don't remember seeing him in the books…

Potter Will – I have no clue what I was doing so I sorta just… Ah, I don't even know. The Inheritance Will is separate from this Will. I think I should call the Will here the 'Guardianship Will'.

-X-

**Not as long as usual, but a little longer than before. Hopefully I'll get back into the game after this! :D**

**My block was an original fiction with dark romance and whole lotta gory scenes. Finally got that one out and I think I could concentrate on this one now. Yay. Urgh.**

**And heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey! Snakey made his appearance. Who would've thought?**

**Stand and BOW!**

**-nekoma**


	8. Chapter 8

**Have I ever told you I love you guys? Simply for reading? No? **

**Shame, because I love you all so much.**

**Review Responses:**

**DZ2-san: OMG THANK YOU. And reviews don't bother me much :) I just want my ideas to be read and if someone drops by to review, I count myself blessed. And expect more bigbro!Snake/Storm soon :D**

**Sakura-Lisel-san: Ooohh. So that's Ragnok. Thank you for the information! Wait. Who the heck started this Ragnok business even? He's not canon right? O.o?**

-X-

Grimfang eyed Suzume calmly, an eyebrow up in mild amusement. "Have you calmed yourself, Your Excellency? I believe my office would not survive an outburst."

Suzume smiled apologetically, smoothing down her obi. "Forgive me; it's just that I find those responsible for my son's previous condition extremely detestable."

Haruto stared at Suzume dubiously, not believe that her dislike for whoever did his living arrangements was only limited to 'detestable'. He swore he almost heard Arranz's voice telling him Suzume will make Yomi into a holy shrine in her rage.

Grimfang nodded, as he felt the air clear from the traces of magic permeating from Suzume. The goblin nodded at Haruto,

"I believe the one who arranged… this," Here, the goblin gestured vaguely with his hand. "Is Mr. Potter-Suzume's magical guardian, named Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

Suzume froze, as did Kei and Reiji. Haruto only blinked in confusion. The name was familiar…

"Pardon?" Suzume asked, her voice deceptively calm. Haruto immediately held his mother's hand to calm her down, though it worked only by a bit.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." Grimfang repeated carefully, gauging Suzume's reaction. "He is Harry Potter-Suzume's magical guardian."

Suzume only frowned, taking on a contemplative look. "Who gave him the right?"

Grimfang opened his mouth to answer, then paused as well. "Harry Potter was originally added to the Hogwarts' list of student that it will take on once reaching the appropriate age. But if the child's parents died or prove incapable of taking care of the child; their custody is to be handed over to the Headmaster of the school, which is Albus Dumbledore." He seemed to scowl, but Haruto couldn't clearly tell since goblins looked scary in the first place. "But I don't remember being handed a form of approval for the transfer of guardianship. Or even a letter from the late Potters that tells Mr. Potter here is to go to Albus Dumbledore."

Suzume's eyes seemed to harden, seeming to turn even darker than her coal black. "You see my point then."

Grimfang nodded, as he wound long bony finger together. "It seems we have committed some mistake on our part, your Excellency."

Suzume nodded curtly, "See to it that this will be fixed, and have it transferred to me by the end of this meeting."

Grimfang was about to reply an affirmative when Haruto suddenly blurted out; "Please don't tell him."

All eyes were on the young Tengu, and Grimfang tilted his head curiously. "Pray tell, young Lord, the reason?"

"If he… I-if he's ma my g-guardian, then why am I with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia?" He asked, eyes wide as he looked at their faces. "Shouldn't he be the one to take care of me?"

Grimfang looked downright angry this time. "Oh dear." He muttered darkly, a vicious grin curling his lips. "It seems the late Potters' Will have been disobeyed."

Haruto looked at Suzume in alarm – _he did not squeak, dammit _– as she chuckled darkly, a sinister smile spreading her lips. "Oh yes. I believe you will breathe nothing of this to him or anyone else except for my court?"

Grimfang nodded, "Of course. Anything else would you like to add, Mr. Potter-Suzume?"

Haruto blinked up in shock, surprised that the goblin addressed him directly. Thought immediately ran through his mind, and the one the stuck with him is his 'supposed' legal guardians.

"Where are my guardians? Why didn't they get me either?"

"Ah." Grimfang paused, lacing his fingers once more. "Two of them are currently… incapacitated, one has a special condition that may prove a little worrisome if you were to go with him, and the last one I do not know why."

Haruto frowned, before sitting straighter. "Which ones?"

Grimfang immediately answered. "Sirius Orion Black is detained for betraying the Potters and in turn, helped You-Know-Who; while the Longbottoms are in a vegetative state for the same amount of time. Remus John Lupin seems to be out of the country, and Severus Tobias Snape is working in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"May I request a private audience with Remus John Lupin and Severus Tobias Snape? I would like to ask them a few things, please." Haruto asked politely. "And in private." He added as an afterthought.

Behind his back, Kei gave his adoptive brother a wide-eyed look, and only Reiji smirked smugly, proud to serve a future Emperor as glorious as Haruto. Suzume also shared his sentiments with her son.

"Of course, Your Grace, I will have my hawks to send them your formal requests." Grimfang agreed, moving to take several rolls of parchment and a quill, before suddenly pausing and focusing an unreadable look a Haruto, who squirmed. "Oh my, what a _curious_ gift you have."

Suzume intervened quickly, "He's not conscious of it, Chieftain Grimfang. I apologize for the-"

"Be at ease, Your Excellency. In truth I am amused." Haruto seemed to doubt the words, seeing as the goblin's smile was bloody scary. "I think an Inheritance Will Reading and Test is in order?"

xXxXxXxXx

Haruto was sitting in shock, head still reeling from the rather sudden… Overload of information in 5 hours.

They were back in the summer house, Suzume off in the shrine to either meditate and fix some things, or destroy everything then fix everything and then arrange the scrolls in the library alphabetically and by age.

The Arashikage brothers were training in the garden with Eion, so that left Haruto sitting stiffly in the balcony, staring down at his cup.

The reason for his shock was this:

_He was filthy rich just by the properties he owned. And he could buy an island with his money._

The Potters were an important family, he knew that of course, but he didn't have the slightest clue about how rich _and_ powerful _and_ influential his other name was.

He owned 4 properties; one in England – the one that was attacked – two manors in Brittany, and a 100-hectare piece of land (and a little bit of ocean) in Southern Korea.

The one in England was in Godric's Hollow, a modest three floor building – well, actually two seeing as it was reduced to ruins. It had become a memorial, and Haruto felt a surge of anger as he saw how people made his home as a baby into a memorial how his parents died. It was disrespectful in his eyes.

The dead should be relieved of their worldly possessions before moving to the nest great adventure, after all, and keeping the house (and in ruins, he might add) was a big, fat 'NO' in Haruto's book.

He was _so_ going to have that lot fixed up and donated, maybe to an orphanage or something.

The two manors in Britanny are named Lion's Den and the other one function as a wildlife sanctuary than an actual place for living. Lion's Den was said to be where the main family resided back in the first decades of the Potter line, before they had spread out all over Magical Europe to live their lives.

The farmhouse (Haruto decided to call it that instead of 'manor') was emptied long ago of animals, but it was in good condition. He had to talk to his cousins to see if they could transfer some animals there for safety, study and simple pleasure of raising a rare type of Creature.

Haruto had no clue to what to do with the property in Korea, so he'll just leave that for the mean time.

"How's our little King?" Haruto looked up blankly, noting that three sweaty and dirt-smudged men were leaning against the railing, Eion grinning wide while Reiji only looked at the Arianrhod pointedly. Kei could only roll his eyes, the lower half of his face covered by a black mask.

Haruto blinked. "Out of whack."

Eion winced. "Oh dear, still in shock I take it?"

Haruto nodded his head slowly, taking a slow sip of his juice. "You have no idea. And don't even get me started on my liquid assets and artifacts that passed on to me." I looked up suddenly, a thoughtful expression on his face. "But I should really go get those books."

Eion nodded in agreement, resting both hands on his katana's pommel. "You should collect them and transfer them to the Lion's Den. And I think a little renovation is in order for that one. For now, at least."

Haruto was about to say something but a sudden chime from the fireplace made everyone look up.

"Eion! Lle ydych?!"

Eion blinked, then frowned and pulled himself up the railing, throwing his legs over to stand and walk in the direction of the fireplace.

"What?!" He yelled back, disappearing from sight as he turned to a branching hallway.

Haaruto wasn't sure, but the voice sounded like Arranz's. Kei and Reiji exchanged bewildered looks, and they all jumped when Eion started swearing like no tomorrow. There was a crash, several thumping sounds, and a sound of paper tearing and an _impossibly high-pitched _scream was heard.

Haruto yelped when a silver blue came through where Eion had disappeared to, vaulting over the railing and dropping rather _rudely_ on top of Reiji who nearly beheaded the figure.

Reiji caught the figure with a bewildered face, and the said figure is now identified as a young boy wearing dark grey long sleeve shirt and watching calf-length pants. And don't get Haruto started on the two ears (leopard ears, Haruto's mind supplied absently) and the tail that was swaying side to side in a manic fashion

"Omigosh Omigosh Omigosh Omigosh! Reiji, Reiji! You can't believe what I've been meaning to tell you! Arranz has a crush on—"

"_KOE O KIYETA_!" Arranz appeared by the doorway, the shorter part of his hair all over the place and left eye twitching madly as his eyes focused on the leopard-boy still clinging to Reiji.

"_I'm going to kill you._" He snarled, taking after the boy as he raced away, face morphed in a terrified expression.

Haruto, Reiji and Kei blinked at each other, before the brothers shrugged and climbed up the railing. Reiji went to find Eion, while Kei sat near Haruto and poured him another cup of pumpkin juice. Haruto nodded his thanks, and began to sip, only to spit it back out (thankfully not I Kei's face) when the boy from earlier dropped beside him.

Haruto was about to reprimand him, but stopped short when the boy was looking at him with a confused face, head tilted a little to the side and one ear drooping. He frowned.

"You smell sad." He stated. Haruto blinked.

"Who are you?" He replied. The boy kept staring at him, not blinking.

"Helwyr." Oh, so that's why his smell was a bit familiar. He was Arranz's Nudu familiar. "And why are you sad?" He repeated the question earlier.

Haruto was about to answer but was interrupted by a steel cage dropping in on 'Helwyr', Arranz sitting on top of the cage and grinning maniacally. He laughed in victory.

"Ha! Got you now, you annoying fleabag!" He crowed. He stilled when he noticed the Helwyr wasn't moving, still staring at Haruto. He frowned, shifting to sit cross-legged on the cage.

"Okay what's going on?" Helwyr looked up at his master, tail twitching.

"Haru-chan is sad. He smells sad." He stated. Arranz looked confused for a moment, before realization flashed across his face.

"Ah, I take it you went to England?" He asked. Haruto nodded slowly, staring at the floor as he drank the rest of his juice. Kei took his cup and the tray where his pitcher of juice sat, taking it back to the kitchen. How he knew Haruto was done drinking was lost on the young Tengu.

"Yeah."

"And there were complications?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me and I'll set the Dullahan on their arses. And probably the Occamies, they've been _dying_ to be let out." Haruto gave his eldest cousin an amused glance, before sighing in defeat.

"My 'supposed' guardian sent me to the Dursleys instead of getting my custody. He was also to keep track of me and visit me personally at least _twice_ a month." Haruto looked up at Arranz, "He never once did it."

Arranz growled, jumping off the cage and banishing it. Helwyr looked agitated now also, tail swishing from side to side slowly and lips pulled back from sharp teeth.

"I call Revenge Hunt." Arranz growled, moving to stalk off.

"No, don't." Arranz blinked at Haruto, before frowning.

"Why? He left you with those… _Bastards_ and you would spare them?!" Haruto flinched at the loud volume, and Arranz quickly spoke to correct his mistake. "Sorry, it's just that… Ugh, I can't believe someone did that to my youngest cousin." He muttered, moving to sit beside Haruto and pull the younger Tengu into a hug, Arranz resting his chin above Haruto's head.

"I just can't stand my family hurt…" Arranz murmured, stroking Haruto's long hair. The younger Tengu just relaxed in the embrace, grumbling unintelligibly into Arranz's maroon Durmstrang uniform.

"Who was your guardian?" Haruto looked up, blinking at Arranz.

"Arfus Dumblefloor or something other."

Arranz froze, eyes widening for a second before the narrowed. "He's the Headmaster of Hogwarts…"

"Yeah, Grimfang said that."Arranz sighed tiredly, bringing a hand up to massage his temple, as if warding off an oncoming headache.

"We'll talk more when Yule break arrives. I have to warn Shinji, Kazu and Shouichi about the old fart." He muttered, letting go of Haruto reluctantly as he stood up, Helwyr standing beside him without much fight.

Haruto nodded absently, watching the trees begin to lose their leaves as winter approached. He hoped his emancipation and Inheritance would help him along the way.

And probably avoid any more problems.

xXxXxXxXx

Remus wrung his wrists in nervousness, eyeing the Gringotts letter he had reserved earlier that day.

It informed Remus of Harry – _his cub_ – was alive and well and currently living with his new guardian. That made Remus a little confused, because if Harry managed to find one of his guardians, wouldn't they contact him?

He set aside his questions for later, continuing to read the letter. It also said that Harry's new guardian requests to meet with him privately by Monday, which made him both nervous and interested in knowing who's Harry's new (because Remus guessed that it must be new if they didn't contact him) guardian.

His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he got to the part that Harry was now emancipated, and had received his Inheritance from his parents. That was a pleasant surprise, in Remus' opinion.

But those weren't what worried Remus.

But rather how Harry would react to him. Sure he had held his cub back when he was a baby, played with him with his 'Unca Pa'foo' and got called 'Unca Moony' himself, heck he even changed Harry's diapers once!

But he had stayed away from him for almost 8 years, afraid of his _other identity_. Could Harry accept something like him? A cursed monster? _A Dark Creature?_

What if Harry would be angry at him? He wasn't sure if he or even Moony could take the rejection.

Remus wished to see and hold and hug and _love_ his cub once again,

He was too anxious and impatient for Monday to come.

xXxXxXxXx

In a bout of rare 'OOC-ness', Severus Snape had his head in his hands, sitting hunched on his sofa with the Gringotts letter lying open on the coffee table in front of him.

The news had hit him rather hard, seeing as he was discreetly despairing when Albus had told the staff in Hogwarts that the potter brat had disappeared from his home, the blood wards destroyed. Even the brat's relatives don't even know what happened.

But when he got the letter Severus let a sigh of relief escape him.

Don't get him wrong; he _loathed_ James bloody Potter.

But the child was also _Lily's son_.

He swore to Lily he will look out for him, at a distance of course, and as his final act as her best and dearest friend; he will guide to child in his own way.

So it also made him agitated when he found out that _someone_ had custody of Harry. They were to meet on Tuesday, and Severus was tempted o curse the calendar to have it immediately jump to said day, skipping Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Severus shook his head, wanting to smack himself for acting unreasonable. He got up and proceeded to head back to his potions, clear his head of thought for a while and at the same time brew a batch of medical potions for Poppy for the Hospital Wing.

As he added crushed eel eyes, he wondered idly if anything of Lily would appear in the Potter brat. Merlin forbid if the brat was pure _James bloody Potter_.

-X-

"Eion! Lle ydych?!" – "Eion! Where are you?!" (it's Celtic, though I'm not sure if it's correct, just rough translation.

Arfus Dumblefloor – I dare you to say 'Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledoor' in a heartbeat. I. BLEEDIN'. DARE. YOU.

***~ Original Spell~***

_Koe o Kiyeta_ – 'Voice, Disappear'; similar to '_Silencio_' though the counter-curse have to be said in Japanese.

-X-

**Hm… Still as not as long as I want it, but hey, at least it's done, right? And the block is disappearing slowly, thank Gelly's beard.**

**And HOW DO YOU DO A SEVERUS. I CAN'T WRITE HIM TO SAVE MY LIFE. **

… **I think. O.o…**

**Stand and BOW!**

**-nekoma**

**P.S: Tomorrow's our last the before Christmas break, you know what that means, right?! MORE WRITING TIME!**

**P.S.S: Wait, random thought. Has there been any DMC/HP crossover or challenge? O.o?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Huh, little late huh? Well, I blame numerous parties that were clamoring for my attention (ain't I a vain little twit?), heading**** over**** to my Dad's office**** several times**** to help with the surveillance, ****got distracted with my dearly missed friends (all my DMC games and the DmC: Devil May Cry I managed to borrow off my Dad's workmate) ****movie marathons**** (namely LoTR, Hobbit and HP series)**** with crazy sibling and the urge to just sleep for five days straight.**

**Yeah****.**

**Review Response:**

**DZ2-san: Uhh… Thank you? xD No, really, thanks.**

-X-

Harry wasn't sure whether to be amused or scared, seeing as Suzume was only sipping her tea and the man – Remus or something-other – was already nervous as hell.

Haruto could smell it from where he was hiding, along with a very familiar scent that Haikou and Satsuki had. He was mildly surprised that the guy was a werewolf, and seeing his scarred face somehow began to trigger blurred images when he closes his eyes.

He realized they were memories, but it has been so long for him to perfectly remember it. He hopes to speak to the man soon.

"So." The single word made Remus twitch slightly, unnerved by the Tengu in front of him.

Well, it was understandable, since Suzume was subtly intimidating him. She had her wings out, for Kami's sake!

"In Haru- _Harry's_ will," Haruto winced a bit at the slight slip-up. "It was stated that you are one of the late Potters' chosen legal guardians for their son, correct?"

'At least no beating around the bush,' Haruto thought, shifting silently so he was lying on his stomach on the rafter where he was hiding.

"Well, yes but-"

"And may I inquire about your whereabouts recently?" Was Suzume's smooth cut-in, making the werewolf opposite her gulp almost audibly.

"Well, I was in hiding really… No, no! I meant that," Remus cleared his throat nervously, eyes darting around rather than meet Suzume's unreadable eyes. "With my condition, I think… I think I'm not a good candidate for taking care of Harry…"

Suzume merely stared at the man before her, over her cup of tea.

"You are a werewolf, correct?" Remus was shocked of this question, but he managed to collect himself quickly.

"Yes, but how-"

Suzume held up a hand to stop him, "I have my way of knowing things on such a short notice. And why hinder your other self? You're only succeeding in ripping yourself from the inside."

Remus frowned, and Haruto could hazard a guess to what he was going to say. "But… _Moony_ is wild and vicious, he cannot be controlled."

'Bingo." Haruto smiled to himself, leaning a cheek on his palm.

"That may be so," Suzume said slowly, "But that's due to your old age. If you had accepted him at a younger age, you should know the benefits of accepting your Lycanthropy."

Remus sighed, "As interesting as that sounds, Ms… Mrs.?"

"Suzume would suffice, friend Remus."

"Well, then. Suzume, I think we are going off topic."

Suzume smiled thinly, before nodding. "Yes, I admit of my mistake with that. You are one of Harry's appointed guardians, you failed to fulfill the late Potters' Will-" Remus flinched at this, "- with the excuse of your Lycanthropy, correct?"

Remus nodded.

"What would you say to him, if you ever meet him face to face?" Suzume asked, staring at Remus in the eyes. The werewolf sighed in resignation, or maybe wistfulness.

"I would say I'm sorry, and I'm very scared of hurting him in anyway, with my… Sickness." He returned Suzume's stare steadily. "I see him as my cub, and I would never forgive myself if anything happens to him."

Suzume appraised the man before her, before nodding slowly, a small smile on her face. "You would make a good guardian for Harry." She murmured, her wings shifting and twisting as they disappeared beneath the skin of her back. "But your lycanthropy is holding you back."

Remus blinked. "Yes."

Suzume sighed, relaxing. "Lycanthropy is not a curse, but a gift to be harnessed and controlled. But alas, it is a matter that is to be discussed some other time. I believe you can meet him now."

With that, Haruto dropped quietly from the rafters, landing on all fours silently like a cat, green eyes (for now) staring up at the shocked Remus. He stood up slowly, smiling tentatively. Small flashes of blurred images appeared when he looked into those disbelieving amber eyes.

"…Harry?"

Haruto smiled, reminding himself it was his first name. He was so used to being called Haruto these days. "Hello, Uncle Remus." He said quietly.

Remus made to move closer, but he hesitated. Amber eyes flickered up to the rafters for a moment, before focusing back on Harry's emerald ones. He gave the boy a crooked, and somewhat tired, smile.

"So you've heard?"

Harry nodded immediately. "Yes. And werewolves are nice, actually. I have friends; two of them, in fact."

Remus winced, but quickly masked it. He knelt before Haruto, within arms' reach but keep a bit of distance between, as if he was afraid to hurt his godson. He gazed it him long and slow, memorizing and discovering and remembering what he had forgotten.

"You look like your father." Remus muttered, a hand itching to pat down the familiar bird's nest hair that he had seen on his bestfriend, and his eyes eventually drifted down to lock with those endearingly – and painfully – familiar eyes. "But you have your mother's eyes."

Haruto smiled widely, nodding. "I know." He murmured.

Remus looked surprised and delighted. "You have?"

"Yes, my friends helped. They got photos of mother and father, and they noticed I looked like that, only with mother's eyes." He said softly. He then smiled and nodded at Suzume, "If you want we can talk in private."

Remus blinked several times in surprise, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him or not. When Haruto raised an eyebrow at him in waiting, he decided that it was real – _his cub before him was real _– and accepted Haruto's offer.

Suzume watched as the two males left the room, another (disillusioned) one following to protect the young Tengu just in case left the room. As soon as the door closed behind Kei, Suzume allowed herself to sigh in relief, turning to Eion who had emerged from the shadows.

"He seems like a nice man." He commented lightly, sitting down on Suzume's right while Reiji sat across from her, pouring both of his lieges' cups.

"Well, he is." The white Arashikage agreed. "His record is clean, but a few digging and information gathering his is the brains behind the pranks of Haruto's father and his friends."

Eion nodded, "Ah, so just like _her, _then? The brains of our group back in the days?"

Reiji snorted, "Yes, though the woman is more unreasonably violent than Mr. Lupin here."

Suzume let the two's easy chattering ease her worried mind, trusting Haruto to decide for himself if the man was worthy of his forgiveness or not. Surprisingly it was the young Tengu that suggested the plan for him to hide and hear everything from the start and evaluate the man himself. If Haruto chooses to extend his hand to the werewolf, then they shall support him.

The three eldest males knew that Lupin was a werewolf (because Eion insisted he was the God of Information Gathering) so they secretly added a scent masking charm to the already numerous spells that had hidden Haruto earlier. They wanted to know how Haruto would react to a werewolf that is apparently a godfather of his.

Without Haruto himself knowing it beforehand.

So far it seemed to be going well, since Kei hadn't gone back to report. Reiji and Eion were now discussing the various way to tie a tie (how they arrived at that topic was a total mystery) to provide a background noise, soothing Suzume's nerves a little bit.

Lupin… Would be easy and good for her son. But it was the other person he was worried about.

Severus Tobias Snape.

Eion was immediately against the idea of _that man_'s supporter meeting Haruto, but the boy said he trusted Suzume and the others would keep him safe, and help him if anything goes awry with the meeting.

But they hadn't told him Snape was _that man's_ minion.

But if that was what Haruto wished, then they had no choice but to follow. Now it was just a matter of how to meet the man.

They chose the peaceful method for the seemingly kind werewolf, but meeting with a Death Eater was… It just screamed danger, and that made Suzume wondered why would Lady Potter chose the man as a guardian for her beloved son?

She prayed to both Izanami and Izanagi and the Higher Beings to guide her son.

xXxXxXxXx

Haruto was in a very good mood after his private (or a private as it could be with Kei hidden in the shadows) conversation with Remus, or Uncle Moony now.

He learned that Remus was a very dear friend to his real parents, and he absorbed all the information Remus could provide for him about his parents like a sponge. He particularly liked their adventures as 'Marauders' back in their Hogwarts days.

He was sad to learn that a dear friend of Remus had died, Peter Pettigrew. And he swore to hunt down Sirius Black when the time comes.

The man has to _pay_. Izanami and Izanagi help him; he was already ready to send someone to Yomi.

And in the topic of hunting, he really couldn't wait to enroll in Tenshin Shouden. Ugh.

Haruto had escorted Remus out of the summerhouse – after making Remus pledge to a Secrecy Vow, of course – and sent him off with well wishes and a few things that might help the man. It was obvious that Remus wasn't doing so well in England, probably because of his lycanthropy.

Haruto couldn't help but sigh. Humans are such bigoted fools. Not to mention outright cruel to people with inflictions such as lycanthropy or vampirism. They should be assisted, not hated.

Haruto returned to where Suzume was, stepping into the room quietly. The Tengu Empress looked up at him, and smiled. She beckoned for him to sit beside her, and Haruto did just that.

"How was it?" She asked softly, running a hand through Haruto's long hair – his appearance as Haruto Suzume replacing Harry Potter. It was starting to reach past his shoulders, he noticed.

He shrugged, smiling contentedly. "He's nice; I like him."

Suzume chuckled. "Of course you would." She murmured, preening Haruto's hair.

The Young Tengu was silent for a while, before looking up at Suzume. "You don't trust the other one; the one named Severus Snape." He stated simply, face and innocent curiosity.

Suzume and the other three men in the room blinked, looking at each other, before Suzume sighed in a defeated manner, the other three men exchanging uneasy looks behind Haruto. The young Tengu remained patiently gazing at Suzume's face, whose eyes did not meet him, lost somewhere faraway.

"He's is one of _that man's_ servants; called Death Eaters." She began. "Severus was a high-ranking Death Eater in the First War, and he was good at what he does."

Haruto could practically feel Suzume's hesitation. "And?"

Suzume's brow creased, and her eyes darted to the other three males. Haruto followed her gaze, and his own eyes landed on Eion, who looked torn, for some reason.

The Arianrhod Lord met his eyes a few moments after, lips pressed into a thin line, all traces of goofing around gone and leaving behind a Lord. "He was once your mother's friend." He murmured. He met Haruto's eyes, and his heart broke, seeing the utterly _betrayed_ and despairing expression on such a young face.

Tears threatened to spill from the corner of those beautiful eyes, and Haruto turned and pressed his face against Suzume's shoulder, his thin frame shuddering every now and then as he cried silently.

Reiji and Kei suddenly moved, kneeling before the Tengu and setting their swords down in front of them, a sign of a warrior pledging their eternal allegiance and devotion to their masters.

"Say the word, my Lord; and he shall be struck down to Yomi and be fed to Izanami's lapdogs." Reiji stated, eyes closed as he lowered his head. Kei mirrored his brother's movements, though he kept silent.

Eion merely bowed his head, though his fists were clenched tightly, his silver eyes beginning to glaze a little as dark thoughts filled his mind. Just a little more and the old Arianrhod Bloodlust may awaken.

Haruto pulled away from Suzume, wiping his eyes from tears and taking several deep breaths to calm himself. He raised his head, straightening his back as he looked at Reiji, Kei and Eion.

"No." He said, making all of the other inhabitants in the room look at him questioningly. "I will decide when to throw him to Yomi. You are to warn him – and _only warn_ him - tomorrow when you meet him."

The Arashikage brothers and Eion nodded, while Suzume looked oddly at peace, as if satisfied with Haruto's answer.

"If he still serves that master of his…" Haruto whispered, a dangerous edge to his young voice, almost frightening the adults. "Then I'll take his life myself. I will avenge Lillian Agatha Potter and James Charlus Potter; my birth parents, and hunt down the monster who killed them."

Haruto looked up, at the same time as his appearance turned to Harry Potter. "Will you help me?"

Eion and Reiji shared similar shark-like smirks, while Kei only nodded his head. Eion was the one who spoke for them. "We are your, Haruto-dono. To Yomi and back, we shall follow."

They kneeled in front of the young Tengu, and Haruto gasped when a sudden onslaught of magic flooded him. He turned to Suzume in question, who only smiled.

"It's the Lords' Vow. You just gained three more vassals." She informed him. Haruto gawked.

"That was _so_ not in the plan!" They could only laugh.

xXxXxXxXx

Silver eyes opened, blinking several times to let his vision focus. A vicious smirk graced his lips, as he sat up smoothly from his bed, the same time as two others in the room also sat up. They relished the feeling of magic as it passed through them, the darkness of their room blanketing them.

"You felt that?" Arranz whispered reverently, raising a hand and flexing it, as if expecting sparks to come out. Yuuto chuckled from his right.

"Who wouldn't? I bet the ladies all the way in France would still feel it." Yuuto's good eye found Arranz's in the dark. "Who're the new ones?"

The Arianrhod didn't answer immediately, before smiling to himself. "Eion, Reiji and Kei-san. They've made their promise."

Haikou barked out a quiet laugh. "Now this just became a whole lotta interesting, yeah?"

The two Tengu snickered, "You said it," Yuuto breathed, grabbing his wand from underneath his pillow. Arranz and Haikou followed suit, before all three of them raised their wands in the air and traced a Kanji. The three characters flared white, illuminating their room in bright light.

"In the name of our Lord, we shall slay and vanquish all who opposes him." They intoned as one, gazing into the symbol they drew. "Haruto Suzume-dono no tame ni."

The symbols flared once more, before dissipating into mist and sinking into the three boys' skin, who panted when the surge of magic almost knocked them out.

Yuuto, Haikou and Arranz shared grins, before collapsing down onto their bed as they laughed.

They didn't mind serving a new Lord. They loved Haruto, and he'll make a magnificent Emperor. Rikku made no affirmation, but they could just feel it in their hearts. That was enough for them.

-X-

"Haruto Suzume-dono no tame ni." – "For Lord Haruto Suzume's sake."

-X-

**Oh dear, in a rut once more. (*sigh*) I'll try to make up to you after the next chapter, because this is the last chapter for the 'New Life' arc. Next up is time skipping to 3 and half years later! Main plotline finally here.**

**And yeah, the first nine chapters are just like the introductory period. Surprise. I'll make sure his Rite of Passage is sufficiently detailed, though. I have a surprise waiting for that scene, and lookie here! He'll get introduced to his familiars (*wink wink*).**

**Now, my problem would be coming up with names for the students in Tenshin Shouden. The 'Houses' already have names, so it's cool. **

**Yeah, and bonus chap next. Not really a story, more like guide to the characters, if you will. Just to clear my mind :D.**

**Stand and BOW!**

**-nekoma**


	10. Bonus!

**Since I can't think of a Christmas special, I think I'll just type a 'Guide' to the characters and some stuff in the Haruto Suzume world. Hope this'll be of interest to you! :D**

-X-

^***Adults**^* (Humans/Half-breeds)

Eion Moralltach Arianrhod – Current Lord of the Arianrhod Family; descended from the main family line (known for long silver hair, silver eyes, and extraordinary beauty). Part Veela through Mother; Cariadus Leyla Arianrhod. 22 years of age; graduate of Durmstrang Institute back in 1987. Main wand; 12 inches, aspen, Ice Kirin's Mane core. Secondary wand; 12 inches, cherry, Veela hair.

Reiji Arashikage – Nephew of the Hard Master, the founder of the Arashikage Ninjas. A Master of Iaijutsu, Shurikenjutsu, and Ninjutsu. Adoptive elder brother to Kei Arashikage. A full human. A graduate of Tenshin Shouden Katori Shindou-Ryu.

Kei Arashikage – adoptive nephew of the Hard Master. A Master of Battoujutsu, Kendo, and an expert on modern time firearms. A full human. A graduate of Tenshin Shouden Katori Shindou-Ryu.

^***Adults***^ (Non-Humans)

Suzumetsuru-no-Kaze – A Tsuru-Tengu and the current Empress of the Daitengu race, only daughter of Kurowashi-no-Kaze, the last Eagle Tengu. Adoptive mother to Haruto Suzume, formerly known as Harold Kenneth Potter. 756 years old.

Shinzokarasu-no-Kaze – the eldest Karasu-Tengu of the 1st seat, father of Arranz Tyrfing Arianrhod and Shinjirou Okamoto. Made the potion that aids in finding one's Animagus form and through the first transformation. Married to Barahime (deceased). 686 years old.

Mekarasu-no-Kaze – younger brother to Shinzokarasu; Karasu-Tengu of the 2nd seat. He is the father of Yuuto Akashi. Married to Kohime (deceased). 602 years old.

Hanekarasu – Karasu-Tengu of the 3rd seat, older twin of Tsumekarasu. Married to Yuuhime. Is 559 years old.

Tsumekarasu – Karasu-Tengu of the 4th seat, younger twin of Hanekarasu. Married to Akihime. 559 years old.

^***Kids***^ (Human)

Mizu Hayama – A student of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Currently a 2nd year of the Ordre de Renard. Main wand; 10 inches, willow, Ocean Kirin's Mane. Secondary wand; 11 ¾ inches, alder, Unicorn hair. Owns Kagu-tsuchi no Hiken.

Armin von Krauss – a student of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. In the same year as Mizu. Under Ordre de Moineau. Main wand; 10 ½ inches, cedar, Wind Kirin's Mane. Secondary wand; 10 inches, cypress, Phoenix Tail feather.

Nikki von Krauss – a student of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Same year and Order as younger twin sister; Armin. Main wand; 10 inches, cypress, Fire Kirin's mane. Secondary wand; 10 ½ inches, cedar, Unicorn Hair.

Rikku Tachibana – A 10 year old Seer, the newest guardian of Amaterasu's Shrine. No wand yet. Owns the Tsumugari no Tachi, Amaterasu's Sword (though it turns into two foot long claws when wielded by Rikku).

Kazuki Takenaka – a 1st year student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in the House of Gryffindor. Future mate of Shinjirou Okamoto. Main wand; 12 inches, dogwood, Forest Kirin's mane. Secondary wand; 11 ½ inches, dogwood, unicorn hair.

Shuu von Krauss – a 3rd year student in Durmstrang Institute, in the Jormungandr Sect. Older half-brother of the von Krauss sisters. Main wand; 13 ½ inches, rowan, Ocean Kirin's Mane. Secondary wand; 12 ¾ inches, acacia, Dragon Heartstring. Owns Totsuka no Tsurugi, the Sword of Susano'o.

Rai Hayama – Twin of Mizu Hayama. 2nd year of Durmstrang Institute in Jormungandr Sect. Main wand; 10 ¾ inches, red oak, Fire Kirin's Mane. Secondary wand; 10 inches, larch, Dragon Heartstring.

Shouichi Nakamiya – a 3rd year student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,in the House of Slytherin. Main wand; 12 ½ inches, hornbeam, Fire Kirin's Mane. Secondary wand; 13 inches, red oak, Dragon Heartstring.

(Non-Humans)

Satsuki Kazesakura – a 1st year of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Same Order as Mizu. A naturally born lycanthrope. Main wand; 11 inches, elm, Ground Kirin's Mane. Secondary wand; 9 inches, elm, Phoenix Tail feather.

Arranz Tyrfing Arianrhod – A half-Tengu (father's side) half-Veela (mother and second father's side) boy, human blood is too thin for him to be considered at least part human. Heir of the Arianrhod line, and younger brother to Eion Moralltach Arianrhod. Have two fathers. Shinjirou's half-brother through Shinzokarasu. A 1st year of Durmstrang Institute, in the Jormungandr Sect. Main wand; 13 inches, Shadow Kirin's Mane, yew. Secondary wand; 11 ¾ inches, ebony, Dragon Heartstring. Owns Amenonuhoko: Yomigaku.

Shinjirou Okamoto – A half-Tengu (father's side) half-Veela (mother's side) boy. Heir to the Okamoto line. Half-brother of Arranz Arianrhod. A 1st year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in the House of Gryffindor. Owns Mazasane no Otegine

Yuuto Akashi – A half-Tengu boy. His mother has a dormant Necromantic blood, therefore the addition of Creature blood (and a Dark Creature at that) had awoken Necromantic powers of average level. A 1st year in Durmstrang Institute, in the Jormungandr Sect. Main wand; 13 inches, yew, Light Kirin's Mane. Secondary wand; 12 inches, blackthorn, Dragon Heartstring. Owns Amenonuhoko: Tengaku.

Haikou Magatama – a 1st year student of Durmstrang Institute, in Jormungandr Sect. He was bitten by Satsuki Kazesakura back when they were 8 years old, to save him. Main wand; 10 inches, holly, Ocean Kirin's Mane. Secondary wand; 9 ½ inches, rowan, Phoenix tail feather.

Tetsu and Kagerou Aragaki – Humanoid creatures made of Shadows. They were originally human, though they had died a horrible death and couldn't let themselves move on. They remain on the Living Plane to serve their Lord. How they came to be fully corporeal (they even age, albeit slowly) are unknown.

**** Note! : Some of them have the Kirin Manes of the same element. Only Kazuki and Shinji have brother wands. The rest have the same element but different Kirin. Clear? Yeah. Locations should be next.**

**For now; **

**Stand and BOW!**

**-nekoma**

**P.S: Happy Late Christmas! xD**


	11. Chapter 10

**Yay, time skip is now here! Haruto is now 12, turning 13 soon, so this is halfway through his third year in Tenshin Shouden (remember, they start at 10). Important scenes from the time skip will be shown in flashbacks, so this chapter will be a little confusing due to flashbacks popping outta nowhere.**

-X-

Haruto sighed for like the fourteenth time since the first hour, already at his wits' end.

Shouldn't there be a limit on how monotonous a teacher's voice could be?

"Haruto-kun!" Haruto towards the direction of the voice, and was met by the smiling face of Yukari Ishida. She gestured towards sliding doors.

"We're getting takoyaki outside at lunch break, wanna come?" Haruto grinned and nodded, remembering he hadn't seen the other two to their quad for the last two days.

Rikuo Sanada and Atsushi Iori – Tenshin students in the same year as Haruto and Yukari are - were assigned to an escort mission, for extra credit. Even though the only mission they are obligated to take are the periodical tests; from their 3rd year and forward, the students are allowed to take extra credit mission, the 'Success Tokens' they earn could be exchanged for curious items in the Treasure club.

Haruto was currently in the lead, since he has his eyes on a certain flute. Yukari and the others said it was a silly thing to get, but Haruto didn't tell them that the item had some sort of magic inside it. It was clearly not malevolent, so he was itching to get it and have Suzume look at it.

Too bad he was 2755 tokens short.

The bell rang at that moment, and Haruto internally rejoiced, since he wouldn't have to hear Akihiko-sensei's mind numbing drone until tomorrow.

He took a hair band from his pocket, clamping it between his lips as he gathered his long (it started to brush the tops of his shoulder blades when he turned 11, he kept it at that length ever since) tri-coloured hair at the top of his head, making sure he got all the strands. He tied it securely with one hand, pleased with his looks.

He turned to Yukari, and offered his arm to her with a grin. The brown haired girl mock tittered, looping her arm with Haruto's and they walked to the gardens, where they usually meet up with the other two.

Haruto and Yukari were in the Byakko Clan, the Winter Tiger. The Headmaster, Iizasa Chouisai Ienao VI said it was the Clan of Lords, which meant those who are sorted to Byakko are excellent leaders. And overall the strongest fighters.

Rikuo was in Genbu Clan, the Earthen Tortoise. Tortoises might look funny – adorable at times, even – but they are fierce protectors, using their abilities shrug off even the most relents attacks. The Headmaster said it was the Clan of Shields, protectiveness and loyalty are their key traits.

Atsushi was in Suzaku Clan, the Golden Bird. Those from Suzaku are the kindest, the best healers, but they are also known for their hunting skills. They are Byakko Clan's best friend and rival, always finding time for a friendly competition.

"Oi! Haruto-san! Yukari-chan!" Atsushi was enthusiastic as always, waving his arms to call the approaching two. Rikuo opted to simply wave his hand in greeting. Ever the silent one.

Haruto chuckled at his friends, who began to bicker amongst themselves (meaning Yukari and Atsushi were sniping each other again while Rikuo merely watched), he held up a hand and all of them stopped instantly. He nodded in the direction of the gate, where the other students of Tenshin Shouden Katori Shintou-Ryu were already leaving for their lunch break.

# #

_Outfitted in his Hunting Attire, Haruto willed himself to calm down, taking deep, measured breaths. Suzume had a comforting hand on his shoulder, and his family was watching him evenly. He smiled at them, which was gladly returned._

_Unlike Shinij and Kazuki's Hunt, Haruto would be going solo. Which both worried him and excited him._

_With Reiji – and Kei – as his instructors, Haruto was confident in his weapon usage. He excelled in all the forms of the sword – except for the nodachi –, the naginata and throwing knives, while he was still struggling with the kusarigama, hand to hand combat and the hand claws. He was yet to learn long ranged weapons, like the bow or even a gun (suggestion from Kei)._

"_Are you ready?" Suzume's voice snapped Haruto from his thoughts, making the young Tengu look up._

"_Ofukuro," He smiled wide, canines now longer than when he was still human. "I was born ready."_

_With that he mounted the horse – with Reiji's help – and rode out to the clearing, pulling the reins to stop at the middle. He scanned the surroundings, a little bit apprehensive at what kind of Kirin he'll be facing._

_When Kari-no-Kami's Statue picked him for his Rite, it didn't reveal which Kirin he'll be Hunting, making it all the more suspenseful for Haruto. The ones who had done their Rites assured him this 'random' event had happened before – to Arranz, Yuuto and Shuu, in fact –so there was nothing to worry about._

_Haruto looked up with a start when the sky overhead began to darken – in a most unnatural way – and thunder boomed, lightning lighting up the sky with flashes of blue white light. Haruto felt himself pale._

_The Thunder Kirin was said to be the strongest Kirin, and only two have faced one before, the legendary warriors of the Sengoku Era; Masamune Date and Yukimura Sanada._

_A particular bright arc of lightning struck the ground a mere few meters from where Haruto had stopped, singeing the ground where the magnificent Kirin now stood._

_Haruto couldn't help but stare at the Creature while he tried to calm Torihaku (his horse's name), entranced by the Kirin._

_Unlike the others, this one was smaller, as large as a regular horse, and less monstrous in appearance. It did not bear scales or leonine feet, or the three pairs of toad like eyes and razor teeth. Its body was bluish white, with strange markings in deep blue twisting and snaking down from the base of its horns all the way to its rump. It mane was pure white, like snow, the tail long enough to brush the ground._

_What captivated Haruto the most were the eyes, a beautiful shade of ice blue the shone with intelligence not that of a normal creature. Haruto instantly knew this Hunt is indeed the hardest one his family will see._

_The Kirin let out a wolf-like howl, also different from the spine-tingling wail of its brothers – lowered its horns and charged straight for Haruto, sparks of bluish white lightning arcing all over its body as it attacked._

_Haruto only uttered one word he heard Arranz say; "Shit."_

# #

The takoyaki was filled with other Tenshin students, though not overly so, and the quad made their way to the shopkeeper.

Haruto ringed the bell twice, calling out. "Chouji-san! Are you there?"

After a moment, a beefy man in his late forties appeared, dressed in a Japanese cook's clothes. His narrow eyes found Haruto and his friends, and he immediately grinned a toothy grin. Out of all his frequent customers, these four are his favourites.

"Ah, Haruto-kun, Rikuo-kun, Atsushi-kun and Yukari-san! Genki ka?" He greeted, wiping his hands on a cloth and grabbing his notepad, ready to take orders.

Haruto grinned, "Hai, genki desu! Ah, the usual, by the way."

Chouji nodded, writing down two extra-large serving, one extra-spicy and the takoyaki special, ruffling Atsushi's hair (since he was nearest) before disappearing back into the kitchen to have their orders cooked. Haruto and co. loved their takoyaki hot and fresh.

"Ah, Haruto-kun, I was wondering when Yuuto-senpai and Ginji-senpai would be back." Yukari stated conversationally, twirling a lock of hair with her index finger. Haruto only raised his eyebrows at his friend.

"You really should just tell Arranz how you feel, honestly." He sighed. He knew of Yukari's crush on his cousin Arranz (or known as Ginji here in Tenshin), and it amused him to no end to see his friend so flustered. Arranz was very good looking after all, like his older brother, and the whole female population in Tenshin was torn between 'Team Yuuto' or 'Team Ginji'.

As predicted, Yukari went red in the face and began blabbing that 'she was too young'; 'Ginji-senpai is too awesome for me'; 'He's from a very old pureblood family, I'm just a halfblood' and other things along those lines.

Haruto shook his head in fond exasperation, smiling. He was trying to set his cousin up with someone, because he was the only one who isn't seeing anyone.

Kazuki and Shinji are practically engaged, Yuuto is seeing someone from Hogwarts, 'Katie Bell' or something like that, Shouichi and Mizu are finally together (Haruto almost had the mind to rip his hair in frustration with these two, since it was taking _too damn long_) Rai is dating someone from Beauxbatons and the rest have their own love life.

He wondered if Arranz is even _capable_ of dating someone, let alone _love_ someone. He showed no interest to anyone – of either gender – so it vexes Haruto quite a bit.

He pushed aside those thought (how did it even get there?) and looked up just as Chouji returned with their takoyaki. The man held up four packages, setting one down to who ordered it. The extra-large went to Atsushi and Haruto, the extra-spicy was Yukari's, and the special was Rikuo's. The children paid for their meal and thanked the man, who waved goodbye as they left.

The quad went to the nearby Naka river, were they usually ate after getting their meals. The sat under a sakura tree, chatting amicably with each other as they ate their takoyaki, jumping from one topic to another to fill the silence. Their lunch time passed by quickly, and as they made their way back to Tenshin, they met someone they didn't expect.

Aari.

Who is Aari? She is actually one of Haruto's familiars; a magical fox, to be exact. Haruto smiled and bent down to pick up Aari – who was in her 'weakest' form, a small pure white kit – and held her to his chest.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" Haruto asked, scratching Aari on the spot between her black-tipped ears, earning himself a growl of approval. She nuzzled Haruto's chest, pleased by the warmth her human was giving off.

"The house is too boring; so I went to find you!" The fox replied in her child-like voice, not at all surprising the three others with Haruto.

Haruto rolled his eyes good-naturedly, before letting Aari perch on his shoulder, her bushy tail curling around his shoulders like a very thick and fuzzy as heck scarf. He smiled to himself as he remembered when he met her, all the while allowing his friends' conversations to be back-ground noise.

# #

_Haruto was already ready to faint from exhaustion, but still he held his ground against the Thunder Kirin. The Creature howled, charging towards Haruto once more, seeming to go in for the kill._

_Haruto lowered himself to one knee, sword held firmly in his grasp in front of his chest. If this wouldn't work, Haruto would kill himself._

_As the Kirin neared, Haruto prepared to lunge, aiming for the Kirin's heart. It would only be a basic sword thrust, but it is deadly and effective when used properly. Reiji and Kei were prime examples of people who mastered their basics and used them to deadly efficiency._

_When the Kirin was just a couple metres away, Haruto took a deep breath, opened his eyes, stepped forward with his dominant foot, and thrust his katana straight out. It was met with resistance, but then slid forward a moment later, followed by a soft, squelching noise._

_Everything was silent, even the Kirin, which was looking down at its own chest as if shocked. Haruto himself was shocked, a little disbelieving. He looked at the Kirin at the same time the Creature raised its head, bowing his head in acceptance of defeat. It stepped back, dislodging itself from the weapon. There was no blood, and Haruto was mildly surprised by that._

_After finally gather his wits, he made to take some of the Kirin's mane, only to find himself flung aside violently, landing on his side painfully. _

_With a groan, he struggled to get on his feet, but froze when he saw what attacked him._

_There, standing in front of the Kirin, was a very large white fox, nine tails waving to and fro as the fox snarled at Haruto. Its eyes were an unnatural shade of blue, strange red markings (which oddly looks similar to the Kirin's) adorned its lithe body, and the claws were out and ready, ready to tear apart Haruto. _

_The young Tengu couldn't move in fright and shock, not at all expecting the Kitsune to appear at the same time as a Kirin._

_But nonetheless, Haruto braced himself, holding his katana in front of him. He gripped the hilt with with both hands, a determined expression on his face. He wasn't going to let some mutt (though said 'mutt' was probably one of the most dangerous Creatures in Japan) beat him now, was he?_

_The Kitsune seemed to smirk, before the world around them seemed to melt away, revealing another._

_Haruto was horrified at what he saw; bodies everywhere, building going up in flames, the ground red with blood. He tried not to retch, but his eyes watered at the destruction around him. It was horrifying._

"_**Can you see this, child?**__" Haruto whirled around, to see the Kitsune slink forward from the shadows, her muzzle pulled back from sharp teeth. The fox gestured to the destruction around them._

"_**This is our land in the future, if dangerous people run amok.**__" Blue eyes met onyx. "__**What would you do child? Would you fight? Or flee like the scared pup you are?**__" _

_Haruto snarled, blindly lunging at the Kitsune. The fox merely jumped away, barking out a sinister laugh. Haruto bared his teeth, enraged at the Creature for implying that he was a weak and frightened child._

"_No! I would fight for my family!" He roared, lunging once more. The Kitsune ducked, one thick tail darting out and striking Haruto in the chest._

_Haruto grunted in pain as he landed heavily on his back, clutching at the struck part on his chest. He rose unsteadily to his feet, hand still gripping his sword tightly, refusing to let go. He held it in front of him once more, and faced the Creature, though he did not charge blindly this time, opting to let the Creature go first._

"_**Oh? The child playing the adult. How amusing.**__" The Kitsune sneered, stalking around Haruto in a circle. "__**What could you – a mere child! – do in a destruction such as this?**__" It hissed angrily, hackles rising as it snarled at Haruto._

_At that moment, had somewhat of an epiphany, realizing what was the Kitsune trying to do. _

_This was a test._

"_I would fight, and lay waste to my enemies." Haruto replied, his voice unwavering. Haruto noticed that Kitsune had stopped moving, and he smiled to himself, glad to finally get the Creature's attention. "You're a strong Kitsune, right? Maybe you could help me bring down our enemies."_

_The Kitsune growled low, a warning."__**Give me a reason why should I help you.**__"_

'_Ah, the trick question.' Haruto thought. He fell silent for a moment, trying to carefully word his answer. The Kitsune was starting to get agitated with the young Tengu's silence. It paced back and forth in front of Haruto, all the while watching him closely._

_Haruto met the Kitsune's gaze. "I'll surpass myself, surpass even my own mother." He replied. "I'll grow in strength, and use my abilities in protecting my family; protecting everyone I love. I've already lost my first parents…"_

_His gaze hardened, before he stood straight back up and sheathed his katana, holding it in front of him towards the Kitsune. "I'll lose no one anymore. I'll do everything to protect them, or die trying."_

_The Kitsune sat back, head held high as she looked at Haruto, satisfaction in her eyes. The world around them faded to where Haruto Hunted, the Kirin still standing there looking at them. Haruto realized the Kitsune was talking, and he listened carefully, trying not to freak out after being subjected to genjutsu._

"_**Your resolve is strong; stronger than anyone I have met in my thousand years.**__" Bright light enveloped the Creature, making Haruto cover his eyes. "For that, you have my allegiance."_

_Haruto's jaw dropped when the light disappeared, a woman now standing where the Kitsune sat before. His face turned bright red when he finally got a good look at the woman, averting his eyes to the ground._

_The woman was wearing a rather revealing modified kimono, a little _too much_ skin revealed. The end of her kimono stopped halfway down her shapely thighs, and detached sleeves secured around her arms. The top of her kimono wrapped around her large bust, sporting a rather impressive cleavage. _

_Haruto should really look away now._

_The Kitsune-Woman smile, sharp teeth pearly white. "I'm named Aari, may I know this young warrior's name?"_

_Haruto looked up – and made it a point to only look at her eyes – and returned the smile shyly. "Haruto Suzume, Kitsune-sama. Son of Suzumetsuru,-no-Kaze of the Daitengu."_

_Aari made a surprised face. "Ah, so that old bird finally got herself a kid, didn't she?" Haruto blinked several times, not expecting the sudden informal way of speech._

"_And the 'old bird' you're calling is the Empress." Haruto whirled around, finding Suzume and her brothers approaching them. The Tengu Empress had a look of distaste. "Show some respect, Aari."_

_Aari waved a hand, sitting on a lone white tail in midair, relaxing. "You know I don't care about that, Suzu. So Young Haruto here is your son, eh?"_

_Suzume's face soured even more, making Haruto raised his eyebrows at her."Why are you here, Aari? And interrupting my son's Hunt, no less."_

_Aari rose, walking over quickly to Suzume, who seem to be bothered by the other woman's close proximity. The Kitsune-Woman leant close, whispering something too quiet for even Haruto to hear. Shock flashed across Suzume's face, before defeated resignation replaced it after a moment. She stepped away from Aari._

"_Very well," She murmured quietly, before turning to Haruto, who looked very confused. She smiled, bending down to cup his face._

"_You did well, Haruto." She praised, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Haruto whined, rubbing off the lipstick stain there. Suzume laughed, before nodding in Aari's direction. "Aari is the Aku-Kitsune Princess and she pledged herself to help you. She'll become your familiar, since she is more Creature than human. Treat her well, would you?"_

_Haruto's jaw dropped once more, blinking in amazement. "Wow, I'm one lucky kid, aren't I?"_

# #

"…ruto-kun? Haruto-kun?" Haruto blinked several times, seeing his friends looking at him with curious expressions.

"You were zoning out there Haruto." Atsushi stated, concern in his voice. Haruto waved a dismissive hand.

"Gomen, was reminiscing a little." Atsushi made a face, before pointing at the clock tower to their right.

"Whatever, let's hussle; Toriumi-sensei's a monster when we're late!" A race sprung from that declaration, the four children and a single demon-fox running as fast as they could while laughing.

Haruto was pretty satisfied with his life right now.

-X-

Byakko, Suzaku, Genbu and Seiryuu – the Japanese equivalent for the Chinese Ssu Ling, four creatures that stand on the four corners of the world as guardians. Their superior is the Kohryuu (in the Japanese equivalent).

Nodachi – Seen Sephiroth's Sword of FFVII? Yeah, that's a nodachi. Mother**cking long-ass sword.

'Chan' and 'kun' – honorifics used between children, teens, or close friends. It's a term of endearment between people.

Aari – hmm… For her exact look, think Ahri from League of Legends. And here, she's actually a Creature, capable of taking on a human form. SHE'S NOT HUMAN SO SHE CAN BE A FAMILIAR. AHAHAHA :D

Aku-Kitsune – Demon fox. 'Nuff said.

-X-

**AYYY, QUICK UPDATE! Hopefully this holds up from now on. **

**So Haruto defeated the legendary THUNDER KIRIN and won the allegiance of an Aku-Kitsune. Yep, he's a lucky kid.**

**Hmm… How to make him go 'there'…?**

**Well, I'll worry about that later. Still have LEGO Harry Potter to worry about xD**

**Stand and BOW!**

**-nekoma**


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